


A Hero's Dilemma

by Holothuria



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29433075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holothuria/pseuds/Holothuria
Summary: Heroes were people who acted when faced with choices that would mean the deaths of many. Jaune wasn't a hero. He'd failed once, and it cost him everything. Now with an opportunity to either make up for his past or leave it behind, will he? Who knows, saving these little girls might end up saving him.
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

This was her fault.

A punch slammed into her midsection, sending shockwaves that rattled her body. Gritting her teeth and planting her feet, she tried to keep a tight grip on her weapon.

This was _all_ her fault, wasn't it?

Another fist came faster than her beaten, battered, and sleep-deprived body could react to. Stronger than her nearly depleted Aura could defend against.

She deserved this, right?

An uppercut she _saw_ coming yet still, she could barely dodge. This battle was decided weeks before it even began. Yet she still chose to start it, didn't she? She surprised herself as when the fist came flying at her, she could just barely dodge it in time.

No doubt her attacker felt the same as for a brief instant, there was a pause after his uppercut whiffed as if he had expected her to go flying.

For a brief instance, her body was flooded by adrenaline as the pain faded from her mind. With her senses now sharpened, she examined her opponents' form for any openings.

Her eyes gained a deadly sharpness as she found what she was looking for. She eyed his right side just under the arm that attacked, and as she thought, he was wide open, her grip on her weapon tightened. Her body aligned itself with his, and as she slipped into his guard, she pulled her rapier back, ready for a strike.

Her heart gained just an ounce of hope that had been missing for the last few hours; even the previous few months paled in comparison to this moment.

After this attack landed, she might have just enough time to get some distance—just enough space to formulate a plan to escape. Or at least she would have if not for an aura enhanced hand reaching out and halting her blade mid-thrust.

The hope that had shone through was now drowned out by her gross miscalculation.

A feint

She was too focused on the prospect of escape that she gained tunnel vision forgetting entirely about her opponent's _left hand_. She made a rookie mistake, and it was one she would pay dearly for as there was now a closed fist barreling for her from above.

/-/

His feet slammed ever faster as the sounds of battle drew closer, bobbing and weaving through abandoned huts that at one point seemed to make up a village, now nothing but decrypt ruins. What was no doubt once a beautiful sprawling village was reduced to old wooden huts that even now were being consumed by the slow crawl of nature. Dodging tall oak trees growing between the dilapidated structures and ripping through all other fauna in his path.

_This place… it reminds me of_ \- A thunderous clap rang throughout the entire area, interrupting his thoughts.

"Whoa!" he shouted, almost losing his footing.

He righted himself and, without pausing, changed direction slightly and continued rushing forward. Dreading whatever monster was over there making all this commotion. Because now it felt like the pain he'd sensed from the outskirts of the village had overwhelmed even the hatred that had drawn him here in the first place.

It told him all he needed to know about how the fight was going. At this rate, he didn't think he'd make it in time to help them from whatever they're fighting.

_Then I'll just pick up the pace then._

He concentrated, and for a moment, the world him bled away as the fatigue he felt was momentarily taken away. His body shined a brilliant white light as his form was enveloped completely. He felt weightless, and with that, he took off a hundred times faster than before.

He was a dazzling comet streaking through the abandoned town, barely able to turn fast enough to dodge obstacles. Still, for every old fence that was plowed through, with every piece of aged glass that shattered and with every new stain added to his already filthy clothes, he knew it would be worth it.

_Just a little further, hang on!_

Further ahead, debris from some structures collapsing arose high into the air. More telling was the very ground beneath trembling as if something or _someone_ had been slammed into it. As he drew closer, the path of carnage left in the wake of this fight was obvious as more and more old homes were seen laid to waste.

His hand gripped the hilt of the sword slung on his back tighter.

He had to steel himself for whatever he would face because this time...

This time…

_I won't fail!_

/-/

The weathered cobblestone beneath was smashed to pieces as her body was forced into it. The air in her body was driven out almost as fast as she was driven into the ground. Her Aura sparked, radiating around her as it was reduced to a tenth of what it should have been.

Disoriented, she almost let go of her weapon while also nearly slipping into unconsciousness. Only barely managing to stay awake through the sheer force of her combined hate and willpower. Already her Aura, what was left of it at least, was working to heal her no doubt fractured ribs and brothers knows what else was damaged.

The world around her was a blur, as a ringing noise was all she heard. She was aware enough of her surroundings to feel the ground shake as _he_ approached. She felt his broad hands grasp the torn remains of her beloved white cloak. He hefted her up and, with a pivot, tossed her with aura enhanced strength.

She was airborne for what felt like an eternity but was probably less than a second. Only after slamming into a structure did she slow down, yet the momentum kept her going. She went entirely through the _first_ structure, then another, until finally, she came to a halt buried into the side of what she believed would have been the Town Hall.

"Ugh, should have…have…" Should have what? Should she have not gone behind Ozpin's back? Listened to everyone's warnings? Come here with an actual plan? Or, better yet, not have come at all in the first place?

_No, I had to come here!_

It wasn't a choice she could have avoided, but admittedly she should have taken better care of her body leading up. Amidst the cloud caused by the falling ruble around her, she could now keenly hear footsteps as a hulking frame lumbered closer to her, obscured by it all.

No, it dawned on her as she tried to move her broken body, eventually sitting upright. Even if she were in top form, it wouldn't have changed the outcome, for they would need more than a single strong huntress to be able to defeat _Him_. She looked ahead past the dust and rubble and saw just a glimpse of his frame, but that was all he needed to strike fear into her heart, wasn't it?

Finally, they broke past the cloud of smoke, stopping just shy of her downed form, her sword still clasped in his left hand. He stared down at her, his expression nearly unreadable, yet she could just make out a single emotion from his stone-like mask.

_Pity._

Like a hunter finally catching up to their wounded prey. Was that not an apt description of the man that stood before her? For what was Hazel Rainart, if not the hunter in every situation.

He cut an imposing figure along with the coat he wore while also being precisely eight feet tall; it all seemed to add to his already stacked form. The scars that marred his body, specifically his arms, spoke that the muscles he had were not merely for show. His face was like pure granite as he stared down at her as if nothing in this world could faze his cold, dead eyes.

"You should not have come here, Summer." Hazel bellowed out in a deep and booming voice as if he were lecturing a child.

"Ha! -" Choking out a single humorless laugh. "You and I both know there wasn't any other choice I could have made." She paused as a cough tore its way out of her throat. Pushing past the pain, the next words felt like they were ripped out of her.

"You should know you all took those choices _from us._ "

She locked eyes with the monster before her and tried to covey as much venom possible through glare alone as her voice failed her.

/-/

Hazel gazed down, seeing hatred consume the eyes he vividly remembered were once truly pure silver eyes. She was the greatest example of the consequences of the path he now travels. Though he saw it and felt their ravenous bite, he did not flinch, for he was already used to dealing with similar.

_These eyes are more familiar than even my own now. Still, though they used to sting, the only thing I feel now is the weight of the burden I will carry when I extinguish their once beautiful light._

He met her gaze with a stalwart look of resolution as he committed her expression to memory. He'd no doubt see them again from others like her, people who would need to be culled to fulfill his ambitions. To those he would force, through his actions, to live on knowing that they could not protect those they loved. He'd even see those eyes from himself every time he dwelt too long on the past that led him to his present actions.

Within these times, his resolve would be tested again and again just as his mistress had foretold, they would. She said that it will require them to sacrifice their present selves to a hellish nightmare to forge a better future for all. He was well past the point where he could turn back.

_Yes, far too late._

He repeated that line to himself every time he was tasked with another life to claim.

_Innocent_ or not, Hazel would not turn back.

"For what little comfort it will bring you." Hazel took her sword and gripped it between his stained hands. "You will not truly die here, but instead your will, the best representation of your ideals, will be carried into the future. I will give you a quick death, rest now Summer, you've earned that much."

/-/

_Earned_

She wanted to laugh, but only tears were felt.

What did she earn exactly? A quick death is what he said, but it barely registered in her mind.

What did it matter to her if her death was _quick?_ It still meant she had failed. Failed in her duty to Ozpin and to all of Remnant as a friend and teammate as well.

She felt tears finally fall as the last two duties she had failed to uphold flashed in her mind.

_No… No, I can't die here. Not when my family needs me the most._ _Not again, I won't leave them to fight for themselves this time!_

She mustered all the strength she could for one last-ditch effort. Her final act most likely as she wasn't that experienced with using her silver eyes. Never finding a proper teacher to learn from, yet she would have to bank on a surprise attack.

It won't kill him, but at this point, all she could hope for was to cripple him. To blind him and to effectively remove even a bit of his insane strength. A Pawn for a Rook, as Ozpin would say, it filled her with shame thinking about how she preached to Raven, and yet after everything was said and done, she was right.

This would be how her story ended.

She closed her eyes to hide their charge and concentrated every ounce of mental and physical strength she had to her eyes. Hazel brought her sword up for an overhead stab to impale her.

Gathering power into her eyes, knowing that even if she pulled this off, she would no doubt pass out, even so, she pressed forward. Hoping he wouldn't notice the energy she felt swelling within.

As Hazel was about to stab down, he saw it, a glimpse of her silver power flow through her eyes, and instantly reacted.

The silver energy she was going to release never made it, though thankfully it wasn't needed. Hazel had halted his attack and shielded his eyes while throwing himself back in anticipation.

Due to that reaction, it gave no chance to see the other, more dangerous attack coming.

/-/

A blinding white comet surged at Hazel, slamming into his guard. Not expecting a physical attack of any kind, he was left confused as he was lifted off his feet. Due to his experience, he quickly adapted and allowed the surprise attack's momentum to carry him a few feet away, offering no resistance. This allowed him space, giving him more time to identify his new prey.

He planted his feet and stopped himself, never dropping his guard, fully prepared for a follow-up attack. Yet when no such attack came, he lowered his guard and whipped his hands to his sides, ready to go on the offensive at a moment's notice, first though he examined his attacker.

Though he had dealt with a wide range of combatants in his life, he was still left shocked at what he saw before him. At first, he couldn't really identify what exactly he was looking at, for a cloud of debris was kicked up, obscuring his assailant.

He wouldn't wait for too long as he stuck one hand out, and with light use of Aura, he swatted away the dust cloud. As it fully cleared, he was able to instantly identify one significant aspect of them.

"A child?"

A young boy with vibrant blond hair that reached down past his shoulders and his height led him to believe them a pre-teen in age. He wore a ragged orange shirt with a rabbit plastered on the front and a stained pair of cargo shorts and sneakers.

Along with a sword much too big for someone of his size and thus was strapped to his back. What stuck out the most and gave him pause was the boy's _eyes._

_Another silvered-eyed warrior?!_

His mind was sent into a frenzy as from what he could tell from his distance, the boy's eyes cast a distinct glow. Even from his range, he could still see them shine like no other.

Was he another one of Summers's children? From what he remembered of their meetings scarce as they were, he did resemble Xiao Long, yet it didn't make sense.

Was he another hidden Silver-Eyed Warrior by that mad dog Ozpin? That didn't make sense either. Why would he send this boy here? All these ideas were thrown aside as, upon closer inspection, he determined something.

_Hmm... yes, it appears I'm right; those aren't Silver Eyes._

Upon closer scrutiny, he was sure of it. Those eyes, while glowing, were whiter than silver. Along with not bearing the signature colors, another thing struck him as odd.

_They're glowing._

Indeed, they were, and instead of acting like every other Silver Eyes he'd been told about and witnessed, these seemed to just glow passively. No bright flash of unknown power before returning to rest in a dull muted grey. Only an otherworldly glow accompanied them.

A semblance, perhaps?

Irrelevant, the real question is why he was here in the first place.

He was too young to be enrolled in Ozpin's indoctrination facility masquerading as a school. He completely threw out the idea that this mere child would be in his inner circle either.

_Even for his twisted plans, he wouldn't send a child to die in someone's place, would he?_ He thought for a while, going back and forth until he came to a conclusion. Yes, he would send a child to buy time in case of a trap for a valuable ally.

After all, wouldn't anyone sacrifice a _pawn_ for a _knight_?

/-/

_That was way too close!_

Even just a second later, he wouldn't have been able to stop him. The second he had turned the corner, he had been met with the sight of a hulking man about to plunge a sword down onto a wounded person.

After that, everything else was just a blur. Against what his mind wanted, his body didn't hesitate in launching toward the man. His hands shook as he brought them up to examine, all the while repeatedly muttering the same pleas over again.

"Please no blood, please no blood, please no blood…"

There wasn't a single drop.

He couldn't help the sigh that came out as it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The anxiety he felt washed away as he realized he wouldn't have to be reminded of his nightmares.

But only for a moment as the reason he'd attacked in the first place had it all rush back into his body. He franticly looked around, not seeing the bad guy he had assaulted and feeling very thankful for that.

A layer of debris was kicked up, allowing him some cover to check the person buried in the building's side.

He took a quick glance behind him, careful to keep most of his focus on where he had launched the bad man. Once the cloud had cleared a bit, he got a better look.

He could tell the figure slumped amidst the ruins was at least a woman, one who was wrapped in the tatters of a white cloak that had seen better days. They weren't looking particularly well either, not at all.

He refocused forward as a hand stuck through the smoke, and with a swipe, it was blown away. A gust hit him in the face as he wasn't prepared for that level of casual strength from such a task.

But he guessed that was just the type of person he was dealing with. As their hands lowered, he finally got a clear picture of the guy.

_Man is he big._

An understatement as it was hard to make a good guess of the guy's height from his shorter angle. He was tall for his age, too dang it! But this guy was on a whole different level.

He wasn't really that good at math, so he didn't bother to try to put a number to his height, only registering that he was taller than his dad. The rest of him wasn't any less intimidating either, a faded green trench coat with the sleeves rolled up. With them like that, he was able to see his massive forearms just covered in scars and hair.

Suffice to say, he was not going to be taking his eyes off him from here on out. Which means he'll have to find another way to check if she was awake or not. Was she even alive at this point? She looked pretty beat up, and he couldn't see if her chest was rising or not from the way she was curled up.

He couldn't turn back, even he knew that was a _bad idea_. But how else was he supposed to make sure she was okay or not! What if he was too slow and she had already died from her wounds? He wouldn't be able to tell.

Due to the circumstances he was faced with, he started spiraling into a panicked state as he tried to find an answer. Dozens of terrible scenarios played out inside his head, with each degrading into even worse and worse conclusions.

Until his brain finally came to a more straightforward solution to his situation.

_Oh wait, I could just ask... man, I'm an idiot._

His heart rate slowed down, and he was able to think more clearly. Gathering his thoughts, he tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice when addressing her.

"E-Excuse me, ma'am, are you alright?" Smooth, I'm sure after she heard that voice crack, she'll be filled with confidence in her odds of survival.

A pained grunt was all the response she gave. Yep absolutely filled with confidence. He felt his shoulders sag slightly, relieved that he hadn't been too late to save her. Sadly, before he could once again put his foot in his mouth, his attention was pulled away.

"You should be more concerned about your own life, boy." The words were said in such a way that he was ashamed that a part of him in fear regrated intervening at all. The words hung in the air, sending tremors of doubt throughout his body, yet he didn't budge despite that initial fear. A fact that, if he was honest, filled him with just a little pride.

He might have even looked heroic from another perspective. You know, if it weren't the fact that his legs were shaking so bad, his body was _vibrating._

Hazel's face tightened a bit because despite the boy obviously being terrified, he still stood in his way. He was filled with unexplainable anger as he had, deep down, hoped that he would have been smart enough to understand the circumstance surrounding him.

Why? He could not understand as either way, the boy's fate was sealed the minute he even approached their location, was it not? Even if he could escape him, they'll just be met with a similar death no matter how far they ran due to the defenses around the perimeter.

He resigned himself to his task. No matter the cost was what he promised wasn't it? Sadly, it wouldn't be the first child whose blood stained his hands. To deny Ozpin future allies was of the utmost importance.

Mercifully, the actual act had been mainly left to the Grimm and the most _zealous_ member of their group until now. Whom he knew took sickening glee in his shows of loyalty.

His eyes cast onto the face of the trembling child before him, shaking limbs, nonexistent fighting stance, and the look in his eyes…

A thought briefly crossed his mind to allow him to be dealt with by the _security system_ after killing Summer. But the bruise he had been inflicted with on his arm during his surprise attack made him reconsider. It might take even just a minute or two longer than necessary if he didn't focus on him specifically. So why not end it himself and get it over with?

There was another reason that he didn't dare speak aloud, yet deep inside, it continued to war with his better judgment.

Suppose he willingly allowed himself to falter when faced with the possibility of crossing this line. Could he honestly say that he was resolved for what was to come?

He did his best to harden his heart and steel his resolve as he came to a repulsive decision. For now, he would ignore Summer Rose and focus on this mysterious boy.

"Answer me this, what is your name, boy?" The words appeared to startle him, bringing him out of his stupor.

"Um-" Alarm bells no doubt rang in his head. "I-I don't know."

His eyes kept glancing downwards, and his body language showed just how uncomfortable he was.

"My f-family always said to not give my name to people I don't know. Stranger danger, they said…"

Hazel was not amused by the childish display.

"You should have used this level of situational awareness when you decided to come here in the first place." His tone showed his displeasure to all present.

Somehow the boy found even newer ways to show how utterly terrified he was, yet he still didn't budge. This fact annoyed Hazel enough to push him to, of all things, make a compromise.

"Fine, then how about this." He gestured with his hand to himself, "I'll tell you my name, and then you'll tell me yours. Is that _fair?_ " He felt silly trying to reason with a child, but it would be worth the humiliation if it succeeded. He still looked unsure, making Hazel soften both his tone and body language a bit to further push his point home.

"That way, we're no longer strangers; how about it?" He hoped the child would accept his line of reasoning as he would rather know his name before they continued.

He wouldn't forget him. He would carry his name with him when it was time to repent for his sins, but he would join the others in his nightmares until then. Watching and Judging what became of their sacrifices for a brighter future. He'd carry him both metaphorically and soon when this was finished physically as well.

After all, he wasn't willing to forget the past. He knew who he was and what he deserves. He made that pact long ago.

He wasn't _Ozpin._

Thankfully to Jaune, a currently scared and confused child, the man's roundabout logic made sense. Yet still, he hesitated with trusting in him.

Hazel was never good with children as the only one he really had much interaction with within his life was his sister. So, he drew upon those old memories that gave comfort in his darkest times to provide any bit of inspiration.

After just an instant, a memory played in his mind that brought him only the barest hint of nostalgia. It may not have been one where he was interacting with his sister, but it was one just as precious to him.

His tone softened to the point that even he barely recognized it as his own.

"Come now, little one." He extended his hand to the young man in a show of good faith.

"If we were to know each other's names, would we still be considered strangers?"

This apparently was enough to give the young boy pause, so pushing that line of thinking further, he continued.

"After all, aren't strangers just-" "F-Friends you haven't met?" Their eyes met, and what was felt from both perspectives were mirrored.

Ah, it would seem they were more similar than he could imagine, going by that look in the boy's eyes.

"My name is Jaune arc" He dropped his already nonexistent stance and, to Hazel's surprise, extended his hand back to him yet took no step forward. "I'm p-pleased to meet you, sir."

His first instinct was to use an alias as had been trained into him through years of mistrust and secrecy.

"Hazel, my name is Hazel Rainart."

He cast those aside and gave his real name as a sign of respect. It wouldn't matter in a few seconds anyway. With that, he took the lead to accept the handshake.

As he approached, he planned his next set of actions carefully to end this quickly and as painlessly as possible. He may be using Jaune to measure his resolve for his vengeance, but he took no joy from the act. In that way, he believed himself better than the monsters he fought and aligned himself with.

Hazel's footsteps shook the ground and once visibly sent tremors of fear through Jaunes body. Although now, after their brief interaction, they seemed less affected than before. At least enough so that he was willing to give him a chance to prove he meant no harm.

One punch.

"We don't have to fight, right?" Jaune muttered quietly, yet Hazel heard.

It would be all that was needed to snuff out his life. His left hand felt stiff as it was held at his side. Somehow his right, which was extended towards Jaune, felt even stiffer.

"That's right, after all, we are friends, right?" His face darkened.

Jaunes brightened. "Of course!"

He looked so relieved.

He was a few feet away, so close he was given a good look at the boy, and he _was_ a boy. He looks to be even slightly younger than he initially presumed him to be. Yet what really struck him the most about Jaune were his _eyes_. They shined like no other he had seen. The rings around Jaunes corneas glowed a bright white that seemed to pierce into his very soul.

There was something about them that he couldn't specify that gave him pause; he could sense something brimming beneath. _Power_ was the only word that could encapsulate just how vast and so very raw in nature it felt.

One thing that he could tell for sure was that they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. The only ones that compared were those of a silver-eyed warrior, but even they were lacking. Along with the fact that these eyes didn't seem to burn bright enough to blind him yet still, they cast an ethereal that illuminated the boy's face highlighting his youthful features.

Though still, the most uniquely beautiful thing about those eyes was the innocence that seemed to burn brighter than the glow ever could.

"Tell me, what is your semblance. Why does it make your eyes glow in that manner?" He asked the question without even really meaning to.

His question seemed to confuse Jaune, as his head tilted slightly. "My eyes glow?" he replied.

Odd, it seemed he wasn't aware of it even though it was his most prominent feature. It was a moot point anyway. No matter the strength it granted him, it would not be enough to change his fate.

In the end, it wouldn't save him.

As his right hand was about to envelop Jaune's, he prepared to launch his strike with the opposite. A yell pierced the air halting both actions.

"Get away from him!"

They were both startled; he looked over and saw the broken form of Summer sprawled across the ground, seemingly unable to stand. He also noticed her weapon mere inches away from her.

_I must have dropped when Jaune struck me. Speaking of Jaune…_

Jaune turned around as the sound of the downed woman distracted him. A look of worry came to his face as he saw the state, she was in.

"Oh! Don't worry, ma'am, we've worked it out!" The smile that came to his lips looked forced, no doubt his attempt to ease her mind. "Right, mister Rainart-"

The world slowed to a crawl as Jaune turned back to face his new friend and instead was met with a fist sailing directly for his head.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put this at the bottom and left the top AN blank. This way I wouldn't color anyone's first impressions before they had even read the story first. This is the first story I've ever written, so I have no experience and I hope to improve using any criticism you can offer.
> 
> Note- I’ve posted this work on Fanfic.net if you want to read it there. It’s under the same name and my username is also the same as here. 
> 
> Take care until the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a while to make.
> 
> Don't worry, I have no plan on stopping now as I have extensive plans for this story. 
> 
> As a matter of fact, that's kinda why it took me so long to finish and upload this chapter. As I stopped writing the chapter to buckle down on writing the story's general outline. It's mostly finished now, so I won't have to waste time with planning.
> 
> With that, I’ll let you go ahead and read the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Summer was at peace.

Enveloped by a warm light as she rested on the bench outside her home. Even from underneath the awning, the warmth was able to encompass her like a blanket. She felt at peace with the sounds of nature all around her. 

She liked the city, the new places she could explore, and the new faces around every corner. Plus, with the city came _Beacon_ , the place she'd always dreamed of attending, and when she did, it became some of her most treasured memories.

She really did like it, but...

_It wasn't home._

She was right.

_I miss this so much._

She did, more than everything she'd lost.

Well, maybe not _everything._

She heard the screen door to her left open and shut. Firm yet gentle steps followed suit, drawing closer to her. She tried to turn her head, but instead, it stayed fixated on the expansive mountains in the distance and what looked like countless rows of oak trees in between. Like her body knew that if it turned away, even for a moment, it would all just disappear.

_No, like it would all be stolen from me._

She felt the wood bench shift, creaking due to added weight. 

"You seem to be enjoying yourself."

Ah, it was just Tai. No wonder she didn't feel the need to reach for her weapon like she'd grown accustomed to doing at every little sound since... since...

Huh, she couldn't remember.

She didn't answer him, continuing to bask in utter bliss.

He chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, I get you, Hun. We don't get to lay around and just live in the moment like we used to."

She wondered why that was? She felt the need to ask but not the will to do so.

"Plus, it is nice just to sit back and watch the girls play, huh?"

At those words, her heartbeat sped up, and a new sense of awareness filled her. 

_The girls? Where...where were they?_

Adrenalin coursed through her veins as her heart rate quickened, sweat started flowing from her pours, as her body locked up. She felt sick as she began to panic. 

Her eyes darted around, yet she couldn't move her head, let alone move from her spot. She was trapped within her own body, screaming for help that didn't come.

Until she felt a rough hand land on her right shoulder. The light smell of cheap cologne and pine trees brought her to her senses. Yet the voice that came with it soothed her soul. 

"Easy there, Sum." She felt at ease with the familiar gravely tone.

"Qrow?"

"Course, it's me. Who else is gonna keep you grounded? This knucklehead?

He must have been standing right next to her this whole time and without her even noticing.

_That's right. He's always there when I needed him, just like in Beacon. I really did get the best partner, huh._

"You know I take offense to that, Qrow."

"Hope you do ya blonde bastard." He replied, no real heat behind it. " _Anyways,_ back to what I was saying." Ignoring Tai's grumbles.

He bent down closer to her, still out of her sight. All except for the arm he extended in front of her. He gestured directly in front of her pointing to something she couldn't see.

"See, they're right in front of you, can't miss ‘em."

Her eyes refocused to exactly where he was pointing towards. But she couldn't see anything past the fog all around her. Blocking out the light that had once shined and bringing with it a chilly wind.

_Where did all this come from?_

Was it all ways there? She wondered if it was always blocking her sight without her even noticing. Though, after she knew it was there, the fog slowly pulled itself aside to reveal what was within. With that, she peered inside and what she saw was a patch of bright green grass and right on top of it were three figures.

_Yang...Ruby?_

She didn't know why she was so surprised to see them. Nor why she felt the insane urge to run to them and embrace the two. Still, she tried to call out to them. Even when she realized that she couldn't speak, she still tried. 

Or was it that she didn't feel the need to? Looking closer revealed that they were perfectly fine. The sounds of playful screams and laughter rang throughout the field as Ruby chased after Yang for protection. No doubt they were playing tag, with Yang running along with the much slower Ruby trailing behind. All while the third figure Zwei, chased after them both.

"They look so carefree, don't they?" She heard Tai say wistfully. "It's alright to sit back and relax, you know. We've earned that much." He placed his hand on her left thigh.

" _You've_ earned that much, Summer."

Did she?

"Hey, kids!" Tai called over to them. "Why don't you guys come on over? I think mom needs a hug!"

Yea, maybe she did deserve to rest every once in a while.

"Kids?"

She was all ways off on missions for... for... why was she always going on missions for? It must have been important to neglect her family to go on them so often. At least she hoped they were.

_Maybe I should finally slow down and spend more time with-_

"Yang, Ruby!"

The yell from Tai was guttural and had her attention ripped back to the present.

_What was going on?_

She looked back at the kids and saw that they were still just playing. Except now they were running further and further into the thick fog that still surrounded them. 

Where were they running to? It too dangerous out there for them to be alone. Zwei had even stopped chasing them and was now barking just as loud as Tai was screaming for them. 

_Come back._

She wanted to scream for them too, but it wouldn't come out. Tai had already taken off in a dead sprint after them, along with Zwei. 

_That's right, Tai wouldn't let anything happen. He'd stop them from leaving._

She watched as Tai chased after them, running at full speed, yet it didn't seem to help. The girls just kept running farther and farther away into the fog.

Ahead of them in the thick fog, something monstrous was writhing deep within. No, there were multiple things, all more dangerous than the last. Yet the only one she could make out right now was a small black bird menacingly drifting high above them all.

She saw the dangers associated with it, along with the other creatures that dwelt within. But Tai wasn't going to make it in time, and she couldn't move. She looked everywhere for help calling for the one person left to count on. 

_Qrow! Please, we need you!... I need you..._

But he was nowhere to be found, was he? All that remained was the putrid smell of alcohol, so much so that she felt nauseous just smelling it.

Realizing that she was all alone in this, she watched as Tai ran until he collapsed. As he lay there, a haze of self-hatred clouded completely around him as all Zwei, and she could do was watch. 

She couldn't sit by, not as this nightmare played out in front of her. With all the strength she had, she tried to stand. To fight against the weight holding her down. But she failed too.

Her bones snapped, muscles tore, and her nerves were on fire as she stood from her bench. With all that, she didn't even make it one step before she crashed to the ground. Now she lay there in a puddle of her own tears and blood, crying out for help, yet she was alone.

She was alone.

She was alone.

_**She was alone-** _

_"E-Excuse me, ma'am are you alright?"_

...

_What?_

/-/

Air rushed into her lungs as her eyes slammed open, forcefully regaining conciseness. For a few seconds, all she could do was lie there gasping for air.

_I-I'm alive?_

She soon wished she wasn't, as pain flooded her body, mind, and soul all at once. Her eyes tried to close in pain, but years of training ingrained into her being stopped that from happening.

_Where the hell am I?_

She was puzzled for all of a second. Her mind worked to remember the events that led to her situation. Eventually, it all came back to her, though what woke her up was lost to her.

_She heard a voice call out to her, right? What did it say again?_

She continued to think as she surveyed her surroundings, though very slowly as most of what she could see was a blur.

_It was a question, right?... Oh, I remember now!_

_"E-Excuse me, ma'am are you alright?"_

She tried to reply, but the only thing she could do was cough and groan. Even if it was a dumb question to ask in the first place, she at least needed to answer them-Wait.

Her eyes finally cleared as she looked straight ahead. The sight that greeted her confused her more than helped. 

_No one should be here. So, who was this supposed to be?_

Indeed, it made no sense what's so ever as to why anyone was here to help her. The groan she gave seemed to be enough for her rescuer as his shoulders sagged.

Had Ozpin sent someone after her? No, she hadn't given him any warning when she'd come here, let alone allowed someone so young to be able to tail her. 

And boy was he _young_. As she looked onwards, even with her faded vision, she could make out just how small he was. He wouldn't have survived the trip through the wilds that she took to get here. At least not without her noticing.

So he must have come after the fact, which just brought about more questions. Ones that she ignored as she came back to the reality of the situation.

A mere child was standing in the way of her and one of the most powerful foes she'd ever faced.

It didn't help that her body was at its limit-no scratch that it was _beyond_ its limits. She couldn't move her body at all without feeling an insane level of pure _agony._

What were they even doing? Why was he still standing even? She'd never heard of a time that it was thought that Hazel had directly hurt a child before, but still. He was standing between him and a valuable kill, wasn't he? 

They were speaking, though her ears still rung something fierce she could make out just a bit.

"My name is Jaune arc." 

Is he telling him his name? It seemed that Hazel gained his trust somehow. This was bad. Unbelievably bad.

She looked around once again, trying to find her weapon.

_There it is!_

She looked to her right and saw that Hazel had dropped it at some point after she fainted. Either way, it was just a few feet away from her. She threw herself forward, literally in this case, as she found that she couldn't move her legs at all.

She should have ammo for it on her belt. 

_At the very least, I could distract him long enough to let the little boy escape._

She dug her fingers into the ground pulling herself closer and closer to her weapon _Crimson Bloom._

"We don't have to fight, right?" 

What?

"That's right, after all, we are friends, right?" 

There was no way, right? He had to be lying.

"Of course!"

Ah, it seemed that the boy believed otherwise...

_That idiot!_

She looked over and saw Hazel approaching, one hand extended but the other...

She saw his left-hand twitch slightly, a bit of his aura surging through it, preparing to attack, no doubt. Was he actually going to kill him? Did something change with the man?

_No... no, he was always a Beast. This was just him finally displaying his true self._

She refocused on her weapon, but it was still too far away.

She wouldn't make it.

Her bloodied fingernails dug harder, dragging her body closer and closer to her weapon.

She wouldn't make it.

She felt despair fill her body.

Nothing’s changed, has it? Just like in the bits and pieces of her dream that she could remember. Nothing was different. She was still just trapped in her useless body.

_No, there is one thing that's different than before!_

She whipped around to face them. 

And _screamed._

"Get away from him!" She yelled in a desperate chance to warn him of the coming attack.

Just like she said, unlike before, it worked to grab their attention as both turned to look at her. She saw a few expressions flash through Jaunes face as he looked at her downed form.

Yet it settled on a forced look of confidence as he spoke, "Oh! Don't worry, ma'am, we've worked it out!" 

_He was so young._ These were the last thoughts she had before he'd turned to face the monster behind him.

She failed once again.

She watched in horror as less than a second later, a haymaker was barreling towards Jaune's head. The force of which looked to rival those that he'd thrown during their fight. 

The next second, a mass of air was blasted forward, forcing her to shield her eyes. 

Her ears rung from the destruction in front of her, yet it didn't even really register to her. Her body went numb as she laid on the ground just inches away from her weapon. The fight that had been present in her now all but vanished, replaced by a terrible emptiness.

_It happened again._

Tears welled up in her eyes without her realizing or even caring. She limply clawed her hand where the young boy once stood. 

"N-no, you weren't supposed to... you shouldn't have..." She whispered.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was going to protect him. It should have been _her_ this time.

A burning rage filled her once empty body.

Her fist met the ground as she punched it over and over again. She couldn't take this feeling of being helpless, not again!

Before her bloodied fist met the deck again, she froze as a familiar voice met her ears.

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

Her breathing stopped as she heard that same voice from earlier.

_Was it all just another bad dream?_

When she looked up, a familiar sight greeted her. Standing in front of her, back towards her again, only this time much closer than before was-

"Jaune?"

Seemingly not so much as a scratch on him as she stared at his sword clad back. He seemed relieved that he'd heard a reply, yet this time his shoulders didn't sag. In fact, it appeared his entire demeanor was different from earlier.

For one, he didn't glance back at her at any point, focusing his full attention ahead. She followed his gaze, landing on what should honestly have been a hilarious scene, yet it somehow found a way to fill her with nothing but dread.

A few paces away, Hazel Rainart stood oddly silent, staring at his fist, completely dumbfounded. After what felt like an eternity, his eyes refocused on them. 

The look he gave promised death. 

"Can you stand?" He quickly asked.

Jaunes voice was panicked, an unmistakable sense of urgency that carried through. 

"Right uh yea, let me-" She made to stand, but her legs gave out from beneath her.

She hissed as she felt multiple bones pop and her muscles give out from the strain. Her body was at its limit and wouldn't move any further. Shame filled her mind as it seemed that every warning she ignored came to pass.

"Just go!" She yelled for him to leave her here. She wouldn't drag anyone else down with her. She looked ahead and, with some effort, crawled her way to her weapon _Crimson Blossom._ She wrapped her hands around its hilt and planted the tip into the ground.

Propped up now, yet barely able to take a single step. 

"I'll distract him while you run as far as you can." She didn't wait for a response as she tried to hobble forward. She didn't take a single step before-

A brilliant light halted her in her tracks, blinding her for an instant. With its appearance, Hazel's aura flared, ready for an assault.

Instead of attacking, Jaune wiped around locking eyes with a startled Summer and, with no warning, scooped her up over her shoulder and bolted!

It was all unexpected, her view going from a perfect calm to bobbing up and down, throwing off her equilibrium. She tightened her grip on Crimson out of instinct more than anything. The wind around her wiped her face as she struggled in his grasp. 

She was shocked at the speed easily comparable to a full huntsman. She was astonished by how much ground someone so young could cover in such a short time. In just an instant, they had already cleared past the remains of the main hall. Already they were bobbing and weaving through buildings and foliage.

But it wasn't fast enough.

"Kid, let go of me!" She all but yelled in his ears. "You won't be able to outrun him at this speed, let alone while carrying me!" 

She was right, and it was confirmed as she looked back and came face to face with a horrifying sight. Hazel Rainart gave chase, seemingly undeterred by their breakneck pace.

She maneuvered herself to look down at the boy's face to try to plead with him. She met with wild eyes, his mind franticly searching for an escape. Realizing that she wasn't getting through to him in this state, she warred with herself on what to do.

_Damn it all._

She shook her head and adjusted herself to get the best angle on Hazel. She brought Crimson Bloom to bare and hit the button on the side, mecha-shifting it to resemble a simple hunting rifle.

As Ozpin once told her. _Simplicity carries its own deadly message._

She wouldn't drag anyone else into her fate. She would prove that, at the very least, she could take responsibility for her failures. That will be her last message to the world.

_Like I said, this time it's different._

She shouldered her rifle, loaded her magazine, and cocked it back. 

_This time I'll make damn sure he's listening_. 

She aimed, careful to balance both the bobbing and the intense light that radiated off Jaune. Thankfully at this point, her eyes had adjusted to the intensity enough.

She breathed in, ignoring the pain that raced through, breathed out, and fired.

With the trigger pulled, the bullet soared through the air, sailing perfectly for the target. Hazel saw it coming, but instead of dodging, he tilted his head to the side, letting it smack his cheek. Sadly, the resulting shot didn't even seem to faze him as he continued to charge forward.

_Tch, it isn't enough_. 

She thought right as a combination of things we're working against her. First off, she was entirely out of aura and would be for a while, so she couldn't infuse the bullets with any extra punch, and second, his brother's forsaken semblance let him shrug them off anyways. The fact that he was probably still near or above 70 percent, aura himself didn't help.

She cocked the bolt back and aimed another shot. Pulling the trigger, another shot went downrange.

She'd find another way just like she'd been taught to do.

It seemed to be the same as last time, with Hazel simply allowing the shot to bounce off his aura. This time instead of just bouncing off, something else occurred.

An explosion went off, sending fire and shrapnel all over Hazel's face. 

Hazel screamed not in pain, of course, but pure rage as no doubt this would have been another in a long list of surprises that he'd dealt with today.

No matter how many times she fought people, she would never get used to it. She became a huntress to fight the enemy of life itself, the Grimm, so she was always more suited to that combat style. But if she said that she felt no joy in seeing this monster flail around in anger, she'd be lying.

These last few years had taught her well in dealing with their ilk if nothing else, that trick magazine being just one example.

She squinted her eyes as she rounded to Jaune below her, not used to looking directly at his burning form.

"Quick, while he's distracted, get on top of the buildings!"

Even though he was panicked, Jaune was still able to understand what she planned. He changed course slightly and ran straight for the nearest building. With what seemed like little effort on his part, he leaped up and landed on the roof. The landing could have been smoother as he wobbled and almost tripped, most likely due to the added weight and probably inexperience in fast-paced movement.

He kept moving with the momentum to his credit, and with only a minor hiccup, they were off again. She was able to look back just in time to see Hazel brush off the remaining dust from his eyes. He glanced up and, no doubt due to the light coming off Jaune, was able to track them enough to guess where they went.

Just as she predicted, he didn't halt his momentum in the slightest and just did what no doubt came naturally to the brute.

He barreled straight through the building.

He rammed it shoulder first, not needing to cover his face due to his aura. With that, he tried to keep an eye on them, but it wouldn't help when he was still inside the wreckage.

She patted Jaune's side and pointed to a building diagonal to there's instead of dead ahead. With him trapped inside their currently collapsing building, he couldn't see them, and thus they could put some distance between them.

When they jumped and landed on the next building, she instructed him to keep going in irregular movements towards the village's outskirts.

"But couldn't we just pick a building and hide until he gets bored and leaves?" Jaune asked, confused as to why they were even still trying to run from a man who so obviously would be able to keep up.

She shook her head. "We can't all it would take would be him controlling even a single Grimm to track us." She answered without thinking.

"He can control _what_..." Jaune muttered too quietly for Summers distracted ears to hear.

Honestly, she was confused as to why he hadn't summoned any to swarm them yet. Sure, she could normally _blink_ them away, but that wasn't possible now as even a single use of her eyes would likely knock her unconscious. He should also be aware of that. At least it would have made them easier to catch. 

It seemed that there was a deeper reason as to why he didn't, one that she didn't have time to ponder as their pursuer finally exited the building. The resulting crash from the aged home collapsing shook the entire village. 

But the ensuing roar shook their very cores.

Jaune didn't question her anymore after that as it seemed he found his second wind. They were running across overgrown hole-ridden roofs while occasionally jumping from any nearby trees in between.

In the background, they could hear more collapsing structures, truly accentuating that they were in dire need of a new plan. 

As they were running- correction as _Jaune_ was running and she was being carried, she felt around for her scroll, finding and fumbling to get it out. When she did, she checked to see if it was still in one piece from all the abuse it had undoubtedly taken.

It wasn't. Go figure.

Frustrated, she chucked the scrap of metal and glass along with its _Protective Case_ in Hazel's direction. 

_Hunstman grade her ass._

She tried to rack her starved and exhausted brain for another solution to the problem, currently making a beeline towards them. 

Thinking back to the past for any inspiration, she came to a realization. A huntress was nothing without her team.

/-/ 

As they leaped over to another rooftop, Jaune mentally reminded himself to keep a consistent speed to avoid collapsing the old roofs. They needed to avoid any setbacks as even now, he could _sense_ the rage from the carnage heading right towards them. He was tracking them.

_Dumb power making me all glowy-_ His internal thoughts were interrupted.

"Jaune?" 

Oh, the woman on his shoulder was talking to him again.

"Um yes, ma'am?" He honestly didn't know how to address her. Was it rude to call her by her first name like she did to him?

"We don't have time for formality. Call me Summer." 

"Okay, Summer, it is!" He couldn't help the small smile that grew on his face.

_I haven't really talked to anybody in a while. It feels nice._

"So, what did you need?"

For a second, silence, as if trying to find the best way to phrase her question, but then she sighed, giving up and just giving it straight. "I'm stumped. You have any ideas of how to get out of this mess?"

That got his attention as it didn't help their already dire situation. He was honestly hoping that she would-ironically _carry_ _him_ in terms of coming up with plans. 

To be fair to himself, he was completely out of his element here. So any advice he could give would be more general or abstract than she was probably hoping for.

Another tremor shook the village, signifying just how close said creator of the element was gaining on them.

Oh well, best give it a shot anyway.

"Um, well, I haven't been in many true _fights_ really, but..." His face contorted. "Actually, I haven't been in any fights before this..." He admitted.

"That's alright any ideas a good one when you don't have one in the first place, right?" She said tiredly.

That didn't really seem right, but it helped to lighten his mood, even if that probably wasn't the intention. Enough so for him to do his best to give any advice he had.

"Alright, well, when I was traveling here, there weren't many of those big monsters around." He heard a small scoff from Summer for some reason. "B-but when I did meet a few, what I would do was just...run away."

Summer hummed a little before speaking in a harsher sarcastic voice. "Well then, I guess we're already off to a good start then!"

"I-I'm sorry, Summer."

They continued for a minute or two in complete silence. He wasn't much help, and he knew that. He was berating himself for not being of much use in this situation. 

To his relief, though, a few seconds after another crash was felt, he heard her speak again.

"Do you have anything specific that you'd do to escape them?"

His expression improved at the chance to be useful appeared again. He shook his head. "None that would help here, I mean unless we had something really, _really_ big to-"

He came to an abrupt halt.

/-/

"Woah!" She nearly slipped out of his grasp from the full stop he did. "Is everything alright!?"

He didn't even seem to register what she said as he was too busy staring into the distance, so much so that he deactivated his semblance. She took the opportunity to get down to stretch her numb legs while still leaning on him for support. 

Summer observed the area around them for anything out of place. Most importantly, she scanned the area dead ahead. Their view of the village was entirely unobstructed. From here, she could see that if they kept their current pace, it would take maybe ten minutes to clear the last house. 

That was just it, though. After that, it would be nothing but woodlands with no real cover from here to the next village.

They'd have no way to escape him, and if they met any Grimm while out there, it would slow them even further. She didn't even know any villages nearby due to it being so far out in the frontier. 

_Jaune might, though._

She doubted it as he hadn't really been of much use so far but still planned to ask him later.

_You know if I make it out with him._ She thought darkly.

There was no question if _he_ would make it out as she'd promised to herself to not drag him down with her. Her life was a different story, though.

Speaking of Jaune, he still hadn't moved an inch. She refocused onto him, but it seemed due to his stony expression he was remembering something. 

He didn't seem all that pleased with what he was remembering. 

She followed his gaze and realized that what he was looking at was a massive statue just next to the village's outskirts. It was huge, easily towering over the few homes adjacent to it. Covered in vegetation and seemingly weathered from time and the elements.

Despite that, it was still easy to make out what it was meant to represent. It depicted a woman shrouded by a cloak, hood pulled up, so its face was obstructed, but even with that, she could make out a weird feature about it. There seemed to be jagged protrusions coming from where her eyes should have been as if to show some sort of power emanating from them.

As if...was this supposed to be a _maiden?_

She shook her head to rid the irrelevant questions. Ozpin said that the maidens had been around for a long time, enough to have a fairytale about them even. It stood to reason this old town probably paid tribute to an old wielder a while back.

Other than that, the only notable feature was the arms. They were positioned outwards as if to embrace the entire village.

"Does your idea involve that?" Pointing towards the monument.

His expression shifted uncomfortably as if his own plan upset him. "Yea, I guess I do have an idea, but..."

She could tell he didn't want to tell her, but they didn't have time left, so she tried to coax it out of him as gently as she could. 

With a gentle voice that she hadn't used in a while, she spoke. "Kid-No _Jaune_ , we need to stop him somehow, or neither one of us will..." She didn't finish the rest. She didn't have to.

He had to know what was at stake, but it was still obviously hard for him to come out with it. Oddly enough, when the next tremor was felt, and a roar of pure frustration was heard, she was glad. It seemed that the fear he held was enough to push him to at least confide in her.

"Alright, um." He fiddled around with his weapon. "When I was traveling here, I didn't run into many of those monsters."

She reminded herself to explain what Grimm were to him later. Until then, though, she would keep her astonishment at his innocence to herself.

"But this one time, I did. I wasn't able to run from it cause of all the obstacles around me. So, when it cornered me against an old tree, it slashed at me!"

She could admit to herself that even with the situation surrounding them. That the way he animated his entire talk with slices of his arms and different faces was kinda _cute._

_But he needs to get to the point._

"I dodged, so it hit the tree instead, and after that, it came crashing down on top of it..." He trailed off at the end as if he didn't like the ending to his own story.

_No way._

She understood his plan now! Her expression brightened a bit as she thought it through further. They could lure him over there and cause a collapse at the base. It might even be enough to kill the bastard! At the very least wound him enough to escape.

She was so thrilled that she did something a little out of character. She bent down and wrapped the boy in a tight hug, overjoyed at this new hope she'd been given. She was glad she hadn't wasted her time and took the chance to encourage him-

"Jaune? Is something wrong?" 

Indeed, it seemed that after she ended the hug that his face had reverted to a more tense, even queasy expression.

"I-I don't... I." She grew more concerned as his breathing became labored and his whole body began trembling in her arms. 

She took a step back from him, completely out of her depth, as she watched what she could clearly identify as a panic attack.

_Should I just wait this out? Maybe he just needed space._

She watched helplessly as he struggled to breathe, clutching at his throat with trembling arms.

She realized that he wouldn't get better on his own, not fast enough at least. 

_But I've never dealt with an episode like this before. Besides, it was always Tai that took care of them most of the time before... before..._

Her face became serious as she chose to do her best instead of just standing around.

Running on pure instinct, she rushed down to one knee, careful to give him space while staying as close as possible. She put her hands on his shoulders and attempted to calm him down.

"Jaune listen to me." She got his attention with a firm but gentle tone. It seemed to work as even with his clenched and teary eyes, he was focusing on her. "Everything is going to be okay. _You're_ going to be okay. But you have to trust me, alright?"

He was shaking terribly, and his breathing was still erratic, but it seemed to be coming under control.

"Just take some deep breaths in and out, got it?" He nodded through teary eyes, taking long and deep breaths. 

"Good, you're doing great!" She turned to look back to where she knew Hazel was rampaging.

_We don't have much time before he's on us._

She glanced back at Jaune and saw that he finally seemed to be over the worst of the panic attack. Though he still wasn't entirely past the symptoms.

"I'm sorry to ask this right now, Jaune, but we need to get to that statue, and I’ll need your help with that. Can you do that for me?" 

It seemed that due to his current scattered mindset, he'd comply with whatever she asked despite earlier reservations. Good.

She wouldn't say she was glad for his episode, but she would admit that it was _useful_ as it helped convince Jaune to follow through with the new plan.

Not a moment too soon, too, as the sound of a tree being toppled over signaled that he was just mere minutes behind them.

She'd need to find out what about the plan or his memory caused this reaction later.

She awkwardly positioned herself to be picked up again, letting him take the lead. He wiped his tears away, and with only a slight bit of hesitation, scooped her up in a bridal carry.

She watched his face. His expression was troubled in one second, no doubt still reeling from his panic attack moments ago. In the next, his face morphed into a tranquil, almost serene look as his body exploded with raw aura from his semblance.

It was the first time she'd paid attention to how his semblance affected him. His hair looked angelic, made to look pure white due to the aura enveloping his form. It seemed that looks were all it was as no part of his body seemed affected by it. Nothing else emanated from his body, no wind or anything, just a harsh light, it seemed. 

The only other part of his body that seemed affected at all were his _eyes._ They shined like no other, different from hers in significant ways. Hers only glowed when activated and even then, only for an instant before the power within was unleashed. Yet his looked to be permanently active as even when not being used, they still had an ethereal glow. 

But when they were, the rings around them burned even brighter than when it wasn't. However, she could still make out his eyes through the light, thankfully.

He wasted no time after that as he rushed to the edge of the rooftop, leaping as soon as he got close.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp that was over a thousand words longer than I wanted. I aim for between 4-5 thousand word chapters, the last one being a little over 5k. This one was over 6k. Which is fine, I guess but could lead to me going way past even that later down the road. So, I’ll try to limit myself next time to keep these all a consistent length, thus helping to maintain a consistent time between.
> 
> Expect at least 3 weeks between chapters.
> 
> With that, I’ll remind you all that this is the first thing I’ve ever written. So please give any criticism you can either in the comments or PM me.
> 
> That'll be the last time I’ll mention this, so it doesn't get annoying, and I’ll try to keep any starting AN briefer.
> 
> See ya next chapter.
> 
> Date published: 2021/02/14


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect future chapters to take at least three or four weeks from now on. Work is starting to pick back up after the break, so my already slow writing will grind even more.
> 
> I apologize in advance, guys.
> 
> Do note that I have gone back and rewritten the entire first chapter. Feel free to reread it if you want.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

They landed on a rooftop overlooking the area containing the statue. Even though this was close to the outskirts, it was still enclosed on all sides by buildings. Thankfully, each one gave the figure a wide berth creating a sort of empty plaza surrounding it. It seemed with all the extra space around it and what appeared to be old stands that the townsfolk would gather here to pay tribute to the figure depicted in the monument.

Surveying the area, she found many pieces necessary for the plan to work.

_So, all I've gotta do is figure out how to knock that thing down while also either immobilizing or distracting Hazel. Easy, right?_

The latter would be the tuff part. She racked her brain but came up empty-handed. So instead, she'd focus on just figuring out options to knock it down. One step at a time first assesses the stone's wear and tear level to figure out all possible options.

_If I'm lucky, my original idea to knock it down will still work._

She patted the large pouch strapped to the left side of her belt, resting opposite to the empty spot where her scroll would typically be.

She cut that thought off before her mood soured.

_Speaking of sour moods._

Still being bridal carried, she looked up and saw the kid's face adorned with a blank expression. A stark contrast when compared to just a moment ago. Did using his Semblance affect his emotions? Or was he already over the previous incident?

"Jaune?"

Flinching, he seemed to be knocked out of his trance. His eyes dilated and began darting around until they came to rest on her. Thankfully, he seemed to come to his senses, eyes returning to normal and focus returning to the present. But instead of speaking, his head merely tilted in question.

_He's still reeling from that earlier episode, isn't he?_

Grimacing, it dawned on her just how frightened he must be and how much pressure she was putting on this child to essentially keep them both _alive_.

_Just a little further._

Pushing those feeling aside meant burying the guilt and not allowing it to drive her decisions. If only she'd done the same for her grief, they wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

"I need you to take me to the base of the statue so I can check its condition up close. Can you do that for me?"

For a second, he didn't seem to register what she asked, just standing there blinking until it seemed to fully sunk in. When it did, his face looked conflicted, hesitating briefly, looking into his eyes showed the inner struggle quite clearly. In the end, he complied.

"Hold on." He muttered before squatting and illuminating briefly. Her only hope was that Hazel wouldn't notice the veritable beacon to their location.

_Hmm... actually, that could work to our advantage._

She was so caught up in finalizing the plan's finer details while they were sailing through the air that she failed to notice the angle they were falling. Realizing that it would end a lot rockier than either would anticipate too late.

They landed roughly just like last time, and like before, she nearly slipped out of his grasp. She let out a yelp as her mind was pulled back abruptly.

"I'm so sorry!"

As soon as they righted themselves, he was already apologizing for the bumpy ride.

After properly landing, he set her down, taking a wide step back immediately after. She initially thought to brush off his apology and focus solely on finding a way to initiate the plan. She was going to give an offhanded reply dismissing it entirely, but...

She glanced back and saw that his head was held low, and he kept playing with the hilt of the sheathed sword on his back. It looked like the pressure was too much now, and the guilt was eating him alive.

_He's overreacting again._

She didn't want to say it, but... it seemed that this boy was _damaged._ Not physically, though he did seem a little skinny for his height, more so emotionally. Noting a few signs that helped point towards him having deeper underlying issues with his mental health. She could think of many such as how he would react to insignificant slip ups or the whole panic attack earlier.

Watching his expression sink deeper and deeper, and even though she felt pity, urgency overshadowed whatever feelings were growing.

_I'm sorry, but I have more important things to worry about._

She pushed through both the physical pain of her wounds and the emotional sting she felt throughout her body as she limped forward. Putting more pressure on _Crimson Blossom_ , reducing it to what amounted to a cane. All the while, he stood by and watched her leave him behind.

Thankfully making it to the base of the statue without tripping over her own feet. Even though she really hadn't moved that much as glancing back, she could still see Jaune a few feet away. Only after taking a moment to catch her breath did she start gathering information on the statue's condition.

Gazing up, it felt like an eternity before she reached the top, but it was only when she almost tipped backwards did its insane stature fully sink in.

"This... this could work alright." Never noticing the smirk growing on her face nor how vicious it looked.

Noting how in actuality, it was impossible to see the statue's actual peak due to the angle, she was looking at. It easily towered over any structure nearby, from the decrepit homes to the ancient trees surrounding it.

She was never that good at calculations, only really being proficient when it included estimating long-distance shots. It was hard to get an accurate estimation of its total height, but she tried anyway.

"Above eighty? No, it's bigger than that, easily reaching over ninety feet high. Probably a hundred even!" Her hope soared, but this time, she kept it from becoming overwhelming.

"This might not kill him, but even this bastard couldn't walk away from this without some _serious_ injuries."

Enough for them to escape? Definitely, but...

She came here to get answers, but could she pass up a chance to finish him if it came to it? Was it even still possible in her current state?

For the first time, she took the opportunity to assess the accumulated injuries since escaping, even if only superficially. If she survived, a more thorough examination would be needed. Immediately checking the most agonizing part of her body, the ribs.

"Ow!" She pressed too hard on her right side, not ready for the level of pain resulting from it. Feeling a similar intensity from the left side indicated a worrying sign. At this point in her career, it became all too easy to diagnose injuries like these.

"Multiple fractures, no doubt about it."

She sighed as it seemed the situation just kept getting worse. She was just lucky that her rib cage wasn't completely caved in from Hazel's assault.

_That's_ _just my ribs, to the rest of my body can't be much better._

Boy, was that true. Quickly feeling up the rest of her body, ignoring every bruise or superficial cut, focusing only on things that would slow her down.

_I definitely either badly sprained or full on fractured my right ankle._

She wouldn't be correctly walking any time soon, let alone think of running. Until now, she hadn't even realized it, but it seemed like her right eye was becoming swollen. No doubt it was already blackened. All she could do was ignore it as there just wasn't enough time to worry about it right now.

_Thank the Brothers for adrenaline._

It was absolutely the only reason she didn't pass out from exhaustion, not to mention the burning hate that pushed her, of course. She wasn't concerned that the effects were temporary, only caring that it was helpful to her end.

Putting the rest of her injuries on the back burner, she went back to inspecting the monument. She already had an idea to knock it down but still needed to find the right conditions for it to work.

She was lucky, as it seemed that it fit the criteria perfectly.

_This thing looks like it'll be knocked down by a slight breeze, let alone multiple Dust bombs!_

This was great as while she was fully stocked up on her Dust, she wouldn't have had enough to get the job done if it were in better condition.

"Now, all I have to do is plant it."

She already knew where it should go but still hadn't figured out how she'd get it there in the first place. As even with the adrenaline pumping throughout, the intense pain still bled through and hampered her movements.

Trying to ignore it didn't help as every time she even thought about walking to just the other side, an extreme burst of pain flooded her. When thinking about climbing it? She'd be lucky to not pass out from the fatigue, let alone the pain.

_I'll need help, but the only option I have is..._

She didn't want to even glance back, already knowing what state he was in and how much difficulty it would be to convince him to help. But without any other options, she settled on just biting the bullet.

"Here we go." She muttered.

Turning back around and wouldn't you know, she was right.

He hadn't even moved from the spot she left him at. Seemingly lost on what to do, he chose to just watch her, but as soon as their eyes met, his gaze quickly averted.

_He's lost and completely out of his comfort zone._

Some part of her thought long buried, wanted to reach out at that moment and try to comfort him. She wasn't heartless, but she needed to focus on keeping him alive. Thankfully, it seemed both sides would be pleased as she now had to comfort him for the plan to work.

She nodded, finally able to make a decision she could ultimately fully agree was the _right_ choice.

_Alright, enough standing around, Summer._

She hobbled over, all the while doing what she does best, coming up with a plan on the fly.

_It was honestly kind of sad how I need a plan to talk to a child, but that's life, I guess. Things weren't_ _like they used to be. Everything's different now, or rather, I'm different._

Dealing with kids used to come naturally to her, but now she struggled with what to tell this scared child at this point in life. Should she lie and say that everything was alright? That she had everything under control, and he shouldn't feel afraid?

That didn't sit well with her. She'd be keeping secrets that didn't just affect her but would affect his life, and for some reason, that just didn't feel right.

Call her a bleeding heart, but...

_I refuse to lie to him. To keep him in the dark about something that would decide whether he lives or dies_.

She's been through shit, but she'd hope that the woman she used to be was still there, if only now toughened by life.

Or had they taken that from her too?

_"You will not truly die here, but instead your will, the best representation of your ideals, will be carried into the future."_

The future?

What future is there?

_I've lost any chance at that. It was stolen away from me, and now I'm too weak to even begin to try to get it back._

Did she even deserve to? It's her fault that it came to this. She drove them away. She thought back on these nightmarish two years. Lamenting the fact that it came this far.

_What was it like before all of this? Do I even remember what I'm fighting for?_

Terrified at not being able to remember what the peace she was chasing after even felt like. A time where their future seemed guaranteed, and there wasn't anything they couldn't face together.

_That time feels so distant now._

She'd changed and not for the better but was it too late to be saved?

_Do I want to be?_

Once again, a single thought silenced any attempt at self reflection.

Focus on the mission at hand. More importantly, concentrate on what we do know for sure.

_I promised to save him._

She would die here. He was righter than he even knew. The best version of her would go on, but it wouldn't be just her will that lived. If she lived, then she'd make it right.

She'd made many mistakes. Those memories that came when she was going to die had shown just how many followed her. But the regrets she felt showed something even more eye opening.

_I can change. If I can feel that sense of regret, then there might still be a chance to become the person I was before, right?_

Maybe.

Either way, this version of her is going to die here, right? If this was her last stand, then she'd rather try and make her previous self proud.

"She's earned that much at least."

By the time she made it to him, she'd already thrown away any notion of a plan and instead tried to just speak from the heart.

"Even after all this time. Guess I'm still a softie at heart."

She stopped in front of him, careful to not touch him.

"Jaune?"

He stood silently, not responding. The air started to grow awkward as neither spoke. She let impulse take the lead as ways to lighten the atmosphere began to filter through.

"Hey, don't worry about the landing. I'd struggle too if I had to carry this much muscle around all day." She awkwardly flexed to accentuate her point.

It didn't seem to help.

"Welp, there goes the mood, I guess uhh..." Trailing off, wondering if she'd be able to bring him out of his shell before they were both murdered.

"You..."

At hearing a response, her confidence grew but faded as he didn't seem to finish it. She'd have to coax it out of him.

"Hey, come on, I don't bite."

"You… uh."

She kneeled to his level and gave a small, hopefully, reassuring smile.

"You weren't that heavy..."

…

"I uh…"

Her hand shot up to her mouth, doing her best to stop the inevitable. She was fighting a losing battle.

A snicker slipped through. Then another and another until a few scant snickers turned into a chorus of laughter. She gave up and rode out the fit clutching her stomach as it grew and showed no signs of slowing down.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity passed, she was able to regain control of herself. Rubbing her eyes, wiping away the stray tears that developed. Opening them and coming to face a no doubt confused and probably even more scared child.

It was entirely out of her system, but she couldn't help the wide smile that came naturally after that intense bout of laughter. It'd been a while since she'd laughed.

"I-I needed that. Thank you, Jaune."

It helped stem the awkward tension between them. After seeing that she wasn't driven insane from anger, he seemed to calm down some. Now staring at her with wide eyes which held instead of trepidation now born a genuine look of curiosity. Those eyes held such innocence that ironically shined through even the eerie glow they naturally held.

_It's a start, at least. Just need to capitalize on it and make him feel more comfortable._

She less thought that and more just felt like she was getting through to him.

"Haven't laughed like that in a _long_ time. Thanks, and for the compliment too."

Through the awkward phrasing, she could clearly see he meant well and just wanted to help in his own way. Grateful for that, she let the last bit of excess joy seep out of her and came to rest at a happy medium. It seemed to help him as well, and she was grateful for that as it made what came next much easier to come out with.

"Hey, can I be frank with you, Jaune?"

The question sparked that curiosity, and so he nodded hesitantly. At his trepid cooperation, the smile she wore grew just a tad larger.

"Alright, but you have to keep it a secret just between you and me, okay?"

Kids always loved to be told secrets, which didn't change when in even a dangerous situation. If anything, it helped as it would distract him from the problem at hand.

"I-I can do that!"

"Do you promise?" She looked at him with fake suspicion sealing the deal.

"Of course! Arc prom-"

He stopped abruptly, not finishing what he was saying. She ignored it.

"Okay, but you promised, got it?" Nodding, he even mimed a zipper being shut over his mouth.

"Alright, to tell you the truth, I'm a little… scared."

This time the shame she displayed was genuine. It hadn't really sunk in just how bad the situation was getting until she was mere moments away from death. Those few seconds where her life flashed through her eyes terrified her. The only thing she could think of when seeing every choice made and every outcome regrated really shook her up. It was only now that there was a lull in the action did it truly sink in.

She would have thought that telling him that would have had a negative impact on the already scared boy. But it seemed to prove the opposite.

"I-Is it okay?"

She thought he would have closed himself off again after hearing that, but he seemed to become stunned at the revelation instead. No doubt, he blurted that question out without meaning to.

"Is what okay?"

She knew what he was asking but felt that he needed to say it himself.

"To be scared."

Looking at Jaune's eyes, she saw that a similar fear run through them but even more, they seemed to convey a desperate need. Like he needed an answer for this question plaguing him.

He needed her, and she wouldn't leave him wanting.

"It's alright to be scared. You have every right to be, I understand."

She didn't know exactly where he would be comfortable being touched, so she settled for his shoulder.

"This situation is messed up, and even if you were an adult, it would still be overwhelming. You couldn't have known what you were getting into when you intervened, and no one can blame you for how you've handled it so far."

He was mesmerized, seemingly hanging on every word spoken. She only hoped that she'd be able to get through to him.

"Like I said, anyone would be terrified in this situation. Even I'm scared. So, you shouldn't be ashamed to admit it."

He seemed to take what she was saying at face value, eyes lost in thought.

"What are you scared of?"

She paused when he asked, becoming uncomfortable even trying to name specifically what scares her. Before she could reconsider telling him, she was already talking.

"That the mistakes I made will be all that's left after I die."

It made sense that he was surprised at what she said because she was too. She hadn't meant to say anything at all, but she knew it would have been lying to say anything else. It's better to keep the momentum going than to dwell on her newfound feelings.

"Tell me, what are you afraid of? Maybe we could help each other out."

His lips drew together, brow creasing in thought. She only hoped that her spilling her guts would make him more willing to spill his. Better to focus on some else's problems than to dwell on her own, right?

"That I'll never change. That the mistakes _I've_ made are who I am and always will be."

She was surprised by how similar they were, and that thought made her worry more for what he'd been through that made them so similar. She wanted so badly to ask, and she would have.

If it wasn't for the distant sounds of a house being demolished that brought her back to the present.

Biting her lip to stop the curse that was going to slip out as she watched the cloud of smoke rise high into the air, signaling just how close he was. She wiped back to face Jaune, shelving whatever questions she had as they still needed to finish the plan.

"Jaune, I need you to listen to me." Unlike before, she had his full attention, his eyes looking to her for guidance. "You know what's coming, and I'm not going to lie to you. I need your help if you're going to survive." He swallowed but looked resolute.

"Alright, but I won't fight. I don't want to hurt _anyone_."

"Don't worry if everything goes according to plan, neither of us will have to." More like if it came down to it, then they'd both be dead anyway. "But for right now, I need your help planting charges. Can you do that for me?"

Initially hesitating but eventually nodding his head shyly. Letting out a breath of relief, she couldn't help smiling. Which was now counted as the most, she'd done in months.

"Thanks, you've been a big help."

She reached for her pouch and retrieved all the Dust she had, including all the rounds that contained even a small trace. With smart placement, she should _just_ be able to knock it down quickly and efficiently.

She gathered it all up and taped up portions of the pile she accrued, creating what essentially amounted to five separate but concentrated Dust bombs all held together buy some leftover medical tape. She didn't have a remote detonator on her because why would she? Instead, she took out a single Fire Dust round to hopefully set off a chain reaction and ignite the rest of the volatile explosives.

Biting his lip as he watched her assemble these doomsday weapons keeping any comments, he had to himself no doubt to keep from distracting her. She appreciated that as this was her first time ever constructing any form of homemade explosives.

Finished, she laid them on the ground, careful not to shack them if it set them off prematurely.

"Alright, you're going to have to be careful with these. Take them one at a time and only plant them where I tell you to, got it?"

He nodded, squatting down and picking up the first bomb. It took both hands to heft them to his chest without his Semblance or Aura. He examined it with cautious eyes as visible sweat built on his forehead.

"I-I this really safe, summer?"

"I mean, it's no dangerous than coming here in the first place."

They both flinched for different but similar reasons.

_Damn didn't mean for that to sound so mean spirited._

She apologetically looked at Jaune as she knew he wouldn't feel too good about himself from that comment.

But to her pleasant surprise, he didn't seem bummed out by it and instead looked more resolute.

She took her hand and ruffled his hair. He didn't seem to mind. "Keep this up, and I guess I'll have to start calling you my _little_ _hero_."

He froze under her grip though she didn't notice.

"Though you'll have to work on your landing strategies if you ever want to be a huntsman, _trust_ me."

She gave a light chuckle to her inside joke while turning around to look at the statue.

"Come on, I'll show you where to put that."

Never noticing how deathly still he was or how his eyes seemed to glaze over.

She was able to slowly limp her way to the base of the monument with Jaune in tow. Now with a close up angle, she was reminded of its size, and with it, her excitement grew to match it.

Finding the perfect spots to guarantee a simultaneous detonation and a controlled fall was surprisingly easy when you didn't have to worry about passing out while placing them.

She pointed out where to place them for Jaune and sent him to work. For the first few placements, Jaune was oddly stilted. It wasn't till the last two that he'd finally picked up the pace, but this time, he seemed to move too quickly. As if he just wanted to be done with it altogether, but with that speed, he actually misplaced the last bomb in his rush. Thankfully, she noticed and corrected him in time.

Landing next to her after placing the last charge, she studied the most exposed bomb's placement near the back of the right knee.

_I'll shoot around there. It's still hidden, but hopefully, the shock wave would be enough to trigger it._

With that, the preparations for their distraction were completed. Now all that was left was to lure him here and hope it all went well.

"Jaune, I'm going to need just one more thing from you, okay?"

Looking at him, she failed to notice the subtle shift in his mood. He kept his head low, his long and dirty hair blocking his eyes.

His head shook stiltedly, never once meeting her eyes.

/-/

He'd lost them.

Hazel huffed and puffed out the last bit of the house he'd blown down. After clearing that out of his system, he preceded to take stock of the situation.

The light that he'd been following up until now had gone out. It seemed they'd realized that it was the only way he would be able to track them, without using Grimm at least. But without that Semblance, how did they plan to escape him?

Did they genuinely think that they could escape on foot? Did she trust the boy to carry her without his Semblance all the way to the outskirts and beyond? He was young, but it wasn't out of the question to be able to use Aura Enhancement to augment his speed without the use of his Semblance. But to keep it up through the miles of wilderness, all while still being able to elude him and any Grimm sent after them? Unless she could run with him, he doubted they could even escape the village without him knowing.

_She shouldn't be able to walk, let alone enough Aura to make that trip. That wouldn't make sense. I'm sure that I'd broken her body enough to where both would be unfeasible._

Yet, she still evaded him.

_No._

He balled his fist, crushing the Oaktree between his hands. As it fell, it collided with the shabby roof of an adjacent building.

_She didn't do much, did she? He'd already been done with her before... before..._

He gritted his teeth and ripped out the remaining stump throwing it at the same building. A resounding crash set shock waves as the remains caved in on themselves. Yet all he could hear were his shallow breaths as darkness welled up inside.

_That boy... he's interfering with my mission._

He must be dealt with. Yet hadn't he already tried to finish him? He'd failed once, but how?

_He was faster than I anticipated. Yes, much too fast-_

Was he, though?

His mind, once calm and focused, became a blur with that thought. Replaying each scene from his memory again, focusing on each frame that shot through his mind.

_"Get away from him!"_

_"Oh! Don't worry, ma'am, we've worked it out! Right, mister Rainart-"_

In the next instance, his fist was sailing for Jaunes head. But the moment his knuckles were about to make contact, he was blinded. The same light that had enveloped the boy earlier came back in full force.

And as his fist was about to land the finishing blow, he vanished.

_Yes, I was right. He was too fast to hit at the time, plus as the light shined, it blinded him-_

Did it truly?

_What?_

He was about to replay the memory again, but as his natural instincts, honed through decades of combat, screamed and ripped, his attention was away.

_I'm being watched._

He didn't react outwardly. The familiar feeling of danger drew him back to his senses. It stopped him from overthinking and allowed him to focus on the present. His oblivious veneer hid his now more calculated thoughts.

After just a moment of stillness, he was only able to be sure of one thing.

_This wasn't Rose nor the boy._

He could tell this due to a few factors. The most obvious one was that he could tell he was being watched in the first place. He knew that even in the state she was in, this level of reconnaissance was too amateurish to be from a full-fledged huntswoman, even with her more volatile attitude that surprised even him. The tension he felt increased as he came to one conclusion.

_Whoever is watching me is either too green to properly hide or..._

His fist clenched as he scanned every window and bush, every alleyway, and every rooftop nearby but most importantly _, every shadow._ But still, he always felt those same eyes on him and from every possible angle. They seemed to writhe and squirm around him, filling him with dread as to who it must be.

_They want me to know._

The only notable thing he saw was the path of destruction he himself made. The only sounds were of buzzards and birds as he stood in the middle of a cobblestone path surrounded by the ruins of a civilization long dead. But he could feel much more than any of that, so much so that it made his skin crawl.

_They want me to know. As if it was all a message specifically to me._

The message was all too clear as well. _She_ was watching.

_Watching and judging every mistake made. I can only hope that she isn't too displeased with my utter failure._

Within him, guilt welled up as he pushed forward to try and locate his prey. Yet as he marched on, a disturbing sense of security washed over him, despite the fact that he could still feel their eyes lingering further upon him.

At this moment, as he proceeded to walk on the path that he'd last seen his prey run, the thoughts he once had been tormented by had been quelled. At this moment, the knowledge that his mistress was with him silenced any scrap of doubt from his mind.

_It matters not what my present self believes is right. All that matters is that I continue to lay the foundation needed to advance to our ever closer goal._

He will lay the groundwork of an everlasting kingdom and grant this remnant of a world a future _eternal_. Whether laid through brick and mortar-

A radiant light shone in the distance.

Or through the bodies, he'd _bury._

/-/

She felt his arrival long before seeing or hearing it. Each heavy step matched perfectly with the rhythmic beat of her heart.

By the end of today, one of these sounds would go silent.

_They kind of remind me of the sounds of a clock. I doubt he'd enjoy being likened to anything, even referencing one, though._

Her musing ended when at the end of the open court, a figure came walking around the corner. Their eyes met, and a mutual suspicion was shared. They squared off, a pair of hands clasped around a sword turned cane, and another were held causally to the side. Yet, it would have been apparent to any watching that both could become deadly weapons at a moment's notice.

She took the lead and broke the silence.

"He's not here if that's what you're wondering."

Hazel's eyes, which had been scanning the area, came to rest back at her.

"It would seem that your right. So, tell me why you are still here, Summer?"

Hands flexed, gripping the sword in between them in a vice grip.

"I came here for answers, and I'm not leaving until I get them."

Scoffing in clear annoyance, he seemed to lose interest in the conversation. Resuming his scanning of the surroundings only bothering to keep her in his peripherals.

"Are you still on about this? I've told you everything I know."

"Liar!" She was tempted to shift Crimson Blossom and just fire but pushed that temptation aside.

_Not yet._

Signing, he seemed to lose further interest in arguing with her. It was a level of indifference that set off alarm bells in her head.

_He's not even really paying any mind to me. Like… like…_

He was tensed up, ready for a surprise attack at any moment. It didn't seem to be directed at her, though.

_He's still scanning around us. He's completely ignoring me._

And didn't that just get her blood boiling? Here she was on a silver platter, and somehow murdering a random _child_ was taking a higher precedent. Knowing what he was after didn't help her mood either.

But it would help her plan.

"You're a real piece of work you know that? I mean, going after an innocent boy, especially with this level of intensity, is _sickening_."

That seemed to get his attention. His eyes stopped roaming the windows around them and came back to rest on her.

_Keep the pressure up._

"He's gone. At this point, he's probably already made it into the surrounding forest on his way to call for help. All he needs to do is get close enough to the nearest village and connect to the CCT."

She was already an afterthought. Now all she had to do was give a sense of emergency to move on. With his mind preoccupied with figuring out where Jaune is, he won't dedicate nearly as much thought to her. Every single thing to tip the scale in her favor.

_The plan won't work otherwise._

She'd need him to be as distracted as possible, so he won't notice her charging up her eyes once again. Long enough, at least for her to get off the attack without him snapping her spine.

She should have dedicated more time to learn to control her eyes, master be damned. In the end, this would be just another regret added to the list. But with the plan she had, then that list would end up being written on her tombstone.

"Is this your way of trying to rile me up?"

Her blood ran cold.

His eyes weren't consumed by intense anger but instead just held an utter apathy. Where's the outrage? Did he know her plan already? Or did he just know something that she didn't?

Panicking wasn't an option here, and instead, she needed to lower his guard as much as possible.

"Not at all. Whatever made you think that?"

Very convincing.

"Summer, this is futile. You and I both know that, so why continue to make this harder than it needs to be? If you truly cared about what's best for the world, then you should stop struggling for the sake of struggling and _just_ _die._ "

He didn't bother to even look at her when he finished. She was nothing more than an afterthought, just like she had wanted. To initiate her plan, all she would have to do is falsely surrender, and when he got close, she'd go on the assault. It was all coming together perfectly.

So why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut?

"Is that what you what from Ozpin to?"

Time itself seemed to freeze.

With a single question- no, with a single _name_ , she seemed to have completely thrown the balance of the world off ever so slightly. As if she'd opened a door that could never again be closed.

He didn't react for a while, merely staring off into the distance he'd been scanning. It didn't hide his expressions, though. Hence, she was able to watch every minute change that occurred, from disbelief to contemplation, and then finally settling on a burning rage.

He wiped around to face her, his eyes smoldering and veins growing more prominent by the second. Internally she was in full panic mode, just as caught off guard as Hazel was. But outside?

She couldn't keep the smirk off her face.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve? You seem all worked up now. Where's that stoic expression gone? Hmmm... Ozpin never said you were this easy to anger when he knew you. What changed, I wonder?"

She couldn't stop. The sounds of knuckles popping were being echoed throughout the plaza. The veins on his arms were bulging at this point.

"I guess even old allies grow apart, huh? Especially if one's turns _traitor_."

That seemed to almost push him over the edge.

"Do not speak about things you don't understand."

His breathing grew heavy, and when he spoke, it sounded more like a hiss. She should have taken that as a sign that she should stop talking. But it wasn't like she was in any better of a mindset.

"Don't understand?"

Now it was her turn to lose her temper.

"I understand what it feels like to have someone I love be taken from me, but unlike you, I don't use that as justification for committing atrocities."

She wouldn't lie and say that telling him off in the moment didn't feel amazing. It was only afterwards she realized just what she said. Biting her lip and tightening her grip on _Crimson Blossom,_ fully prepared for the coming fit of rage.

"Then tell me, what do you think I'm doing then?"

He asked that with more patients than she would have expected as if he was genuinely curious about her thoughts. Well, she wouldn't miss the chance to blow off some more steam if she was already screwed.

_The original plan won't work now. He's too fixated on me to not see the energy accumulate, so it's time to improvise._

If she couldn't make herself seem insignificant, then she'd have to do the opposite. Make him so angry he's willing to get hit by the attack just to punch a hole through her.

And she knew just how to do it.

"You're only doing this for petty revenge against Ozpin!"

He was silent.

"You're going to end the world over a single person!"

Silence.

"Gretchen would _hate_ what you've become."

By the end, she was sucking in more air and heaving over, clutching onto her weapon lest she fall. Hazel was totally still, long hair covering his eyes. It was only after she had nearly collected herself that she heard any sort of response.

Hazel sighed, looking as if all the anger and rage had all at once escaped along with it. Only when they locked eyes again did she see what had replaced it.

Disappointment.

"Is that truly what you believe my reasons to be? Or is that only what Ozpin has led you to think?"

It was her turn to remain silent.

He snorted. "Of course, that's what he would tell his followers. Id only hoped you of all people would be able to see through his constant lies."

She was at a loss at what to say to stunned at his sudden turnaround.

"Did you truly believe I would plunge this world to ruin merely out of some misbegotten grief?" Shaking his head at the sheer absurdity of the thought. "No, my reasons go deeper and strike at the heart of the injustice of this remnant of a world."

She didn't believe him. Couldn't more like it. Even now, where she knew she couldn't fully trust Ozpin, she couldn't fathom a reason as to why he would lie to them. To her.

But why? It's not like he hasn't lied to her.

"Your wrong about him. He only lies to protect the world from you and your cult!"

Was that true?

"Do you actually believe that? Then tell me, if you truly believe he only has the world's best interest at heart, then why are you here behind his back?"

"How did you-"

"Ozpin is many things, but so foolish as to throw such a valuable piece away along with that boy. If I didn't know better, then I'd say this was a trap."

Feeling his eyes rove her body, taking in every cut and bruise he had inflicted. She subconsciously tightened her stance.

"With how you were already half dead before our fight, I'm not surprised he didn't want you to come."

She grits her teeth in anger, not just for what he was saying but because he was _right._ She did come here without telling Ozpin. Going behind his back to not only come here but to obtain the information that Hazel was here.

He was right about almost everything. There was one thing he was wrong about, though.

"He's not with me..."

"What?"

"Jaune!" She all but shrieked, her left arm going almost manic in the ways it was flailing around. "He's not with me or with Ozpin. He's innocent in all this!"

"Lair."

Recoiling almost as if she'd been struck.

"W-what? No, I'm telling the tru-"

"Shut your mouth!"

He was heaving after having screamed that out. Fear coursed throughout her body at the unexpected sudden shift in temper.

_Don't give up!_

"Please believe me! I'm begging you."

"You're _lying._ You have to be!"

_Don't give up!_

He'd apparently heard enough. His feet slammed into the cobblestone, cracking it in a considerable display of power. He stomped his way to her, ready to end the argument.

A familiar light intervened, bringing it all to a standstill.

Two heads turned to its epicenter. Both perceived what they saw slightly differently—one with bitter resolution and the other with sickening _dread_.

Jaune?

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gave a bit more insight into my interpretation of Hazel. Which does differ from what I believe is actually canon.
> 
> Wouldn't know as I actually stopped watching RWBY after Vol. 4 and a little way into Vol. 5, as I just wasn't into the direction it was going. I'm more in love with the fandom (At least the fanfiction community), so all of what I know from future stuff is from fanfiction.
> 
> Don't worry, I know that sounds bad. To remedy that, I've chosen to just kinda ignore most stuff past Vol. 4 with only some of Vol. 5 applying. That way, I won't accidentally mess up a character that I've never actually watched.
> 
> Note- That does not mean I won't be using any characters/other elements from future Vol.'s as I try to not use OC's very often. But it does mean you won't see them be really that important to the overarching story.
> 
> For now, at least.
> 
> This chapter was more for setting up the next one, which I'm telling you now will be a lot more action packed. This was more of a transition chapter, and the following will be more focused on the payoff. Hopefully, it won't take so long next time.
> 
> See you next chapter.
> 
> Date published: 2021/02/17


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to prefix this chapter by saying I'm moving to a different country in a few weeks. This will impact the next few chapters, obviously.
> 
> I apologize in advance, guys. Seriously, I am sorry.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Everything was moving too fast.

One minute he was preventing a murder. In the next, he was being chased through an abandoned village by a man who could tank a house collapsing on him. Now he was hiding in an attic waiting for a 'Signal' to tell him to come out and make a getaway. Not to mention said signal would be a massive statue collapsing over said tank.

He didn't want to contemplate the fact this plan's best case scenario was for him to do what he was trying to stop in the first place. After this, he'd become an accomplice for murder.

_Stop thinking about that._

Huddling further into the corner of the damp wooden attic clutching his knees to his chest. He tried not to think of his situation, but it was kinda hard with how his heart wouldn't stop pounding in his head. Why was it doing that?

_I saw… he's out there. I saw him._

Hazel was out there right now, and Summer was all alone while he was hiding like a cowa-

_Will you just-_

"Shut your mouth!"

Startled by the shout, his focus was shifted to the lone window in the room. Its serene light was juxtaposed by the chaos heard from outside. He mustered up the courage to approach it and peered through.

His vision was mainly taken up by the dubbed _Problem Solver_ or, as it was called by not crazy people, a statue. It was too bad Summer was, in fact, insane.

Though most of his vision was taken up by the figure, he could still peer between its legs. Getting a clear view of Summers hunched back. Looking just slightly higher revealed the lower half of Hazel.

_Is she talking to him? What kinda distraction was that!?_

With the way he shouted for her to shut up, it seemed it was going just as well as when he tried to talk to him. Not great. So he had a right to be worried. Should he let that worry justify putting their plan at risk? He trusted her to handle this, but it didn't stop his fear from growing.

_It's okay to feel scared, so it's okay as long as I trust her._

"- _lying._ You have to be!"

_I-I have to trust her._ His hand subconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword on his back. _I can't fight, so I can't save her anyway. I-I'm not her hero-_

A tremor rattled the building.

Pure white energy flooded out, bathing the attic with its intensity. The sound of glass shattering signified the light escaping, undoubtedly drawing the gaze of the monster down below.

/-/

Jaune wasn't supposed to be here. Not initially at least, and even in the new plan, not _now_ of all times!

The original plan and the one she outlined was for Jaune to escape and try to make it to the nearest village to call for help. It was when asking what her part was that he took… _issue_ with the plan.

Ignoring the fact that she got shut down by a child, they came to a compromise of sorts. She still questioned why he disagreed with the idea of going to a neighboring village so vehemently. Dropping it, they instead went with a revised version of the previous plan modifying his role slightly.

_He was supposed to wait till after I dropped the statue for him to come out and carry us out of here._

Instead, here she stood furiously staring at the anxious child, trying his best to not meet her gaze.

_If you feel guilty, then why'd you do it in the first place!?_

He'd burst out of the building she'd _explicitly chosen_ because it was hidden from where they suspected Hazel would come from. Directly behind the statue, shielded from view by its enormous size, he would have gone unnoticed in Hazel's haste to chase after the supposed fleeing Jaune.

He was now wholly exposed behind her, between the legs on a slightly elevated platform on which the statue stood. There would be no hiding now.

She whipped back around, ripping crimson blossom out of the ground, shifting it, and aiming at Hazel. All in one fluid motion.

Clearly, something had changed from when Ozpin had known him. There was a miss calculation as she was completely lost on how he would react and thus had to assume he would respond violently.

It was a good thing too, as right as she turned to face him, he'd set off. His speed was incredible but not faster than her itchy trigger finger. Letting off a three round volley before he'd even made it halfway to their position. It seemed Hazel had learned his lesson from last time.

Mid charge, he tilted to the right, expertly dodging the first and second shots. Though having to lose much of his initial momentum to do it. He halted with it lost, planting his feet while also crossing his hands to shield his face as the last shot bounced off his Aura.

Successfully stopping him, she racked back another shot, ready to fire. Instincts screaming, she tried to turn around but was too slow.

"Woah!" She yelled as she was lifted off the ground. "Jaune?!"

While dealing with Hazel, he'd apparently decided that they should go back on the run instead of fighting.

"Wait! We have to stay, Jaune!"

"Are you insane?! He'll kill us before we'd have time to knock it down!"

He was panicking again. Still being able to clearly hear the alarm in his voice despite never seeing his expression. That anxiety from earlier seemed to have returned with full force.

"Jaune, we won't be able to escape. We have to stop him here!"

"I won't let you!"

She looked back just in time to see a mass of air pressure barreling towards them. It slammed into them, launching Jaune off his feet while she slipped out of his grasp. They landed with a heavy thump.

They were separated now, she noted while struggling to breathe. She'd slammed into the cobblestone, coming to rest on one of her broken ribs, inches away from her weapon.

Struggling hard, she looked over and watched as Hazel readied to descended on Jaune like an animal. He didn't have much time before he'd be slaughtered like one too.

/-/

They might as well have broken the sound barrier with the speed the situation had worsened.

_Move or it won't be the only thing broken!_

With that last thought and a panicked burst of speed, he threw himself to the left just in time to barely dodge a downward slam. The fist carved a chunk out of the spot he was just at.

_Oh man, this whole dodging just in the nick of time is going to be a recurring theme, isn't it?_

How right he was as the next set of attacks were faster and more ferocious than the last.

He got back to his feet to see a massive open hand reaching out to him. Shifting his left foot back and leaning to the right had it sail over him, clutching air. That wasn't the end, however. Hazels remaining hand raced around him, intent on trapping him in a sick parody of a hug. The rest of Hazel's body rushed forward, intent on crushing him into his burly chest.

Instead of ducking, he crouched ever so slightly and leaped over his entire frame. With Hazel charging forward, he didn't bother stopping his attack instead carrying through with the crushing motion. His arms closed so quickly that the air trapped within was instantly turned into a concussive blast.

Mid air he couldn't dodge and could only watch the dome like shock wave draw closer with his enhanced senses.

It slammed into his feet first, shooting them higher into the air off, balancing him. Now upside down and wholly disorientated to boot, his eyes closed reflexively. Sailing much further than intended, the sudden stop when striking the ground didn't alleviate the disorientation.

The air was knocked out of him, but that was the extent of the physical damage taken. Unfortunately, a different kind of effect struck him. A wave of nausea unexpectedly flooded him as he tried to stand unsuccessfully.

" _Ugh_ , I'm gonna hurl." He groaned out at this new sensation.

With his eyes closed from nausea, he naturally turned to his emotion sensing ability. That was a mistake. All at once, an intense amount of negative emotions crashed over him, drowning any survival instincts he had.

His sense of balance was pushed to its limits, almost toppling him over. Had this guy's emotions always been this intense? Or had they only grown to this level, and he hadn't noticed due to the distance?

The only way to describe it was as an ocean of negativity. From what he could tell, pure frustration made up the bulk. The rest was a swirling concoction of negative emotions.

Only being able to squint right now, this ability was his only way to keep track of the guy. Which is how it was possible to tell that he was attacking again.

_Duck!_

He threw himself down as Hazel had whipped around and shot off after him. Ducking a straight kick that nearly connected with his skull yet only managing to blow his unkempt hair back.

Now fully crouched to the ground and with his eyes still refusing to open, he was at the mercy of the towering mass of hatred above him.

Now that it was right on top of him, he was completely paralyzed. It was like he was being crushed under an immense amount of pressure threatening to destroy his very will. He was able to just barely squint his eyes open to register the attack coming.

Hazel retracted his outstretched leg slightly, bending it at the knee. He leaned forward, shifting his weight onto the leg. With that, his previous straight kick turned into a crushing overhead stomp.

His body was sluggish to respond, and no matter how much energy surged throughout his body, he wouldn't be able to dodge in time.

_Come on!_

His legs flexed as his body burned brighter than he had in the last few days. Too little too late. He could hear the wind whistling as Hazel's foot raced to crush his helpless body.

_Wait whistling?_

"Dammit!" Hazel exclaimed as his foot somehow _missed_ going onto obliterate the ground, inches away.

He tucked in as the shock wave produced sent him careening away. It wasn't a graceful roll, but it did the job to put as much distance between him and Hazel as possible.

Taking the time to catch his breath as he watched the man try to rip his foot out of the ground it had been embedded into. He didn't see what saved him back there, but from the feelings of satisfaction a few paces away, he could make a pretty good guess.

_Okay, so running's out of the question, I guess. What now?_

He could only hope that Summer could come up with a plan quickly as from how every attack seemed to just get closer and closer, he had a feeling he wouldn't last much longer.

/-/

They had to lead him back into position. It's all they could hope to pull off now. Judging by how their bout was going, it didn't even seem like they could do that much.

Heat radiated from the barrel of _Crimson Blossom_ as she racked the bolt back, ready to take another shot. Sadly, it wouldn't do much but redirect attacks, but presently this was all she could offer in terms of support. They'd have to make do.

Easier said than done, she could only make that shot because of the attack's predictable trajectory. If it wasn't for that, she doubted she could make those types of shots consistently. She had to squint her eyes just to look in the direction of the fight because of Jaunes semblance.

It was astonishing the intensity in which it shined, especially right before he dodges an attack. She was a little confused about what it was doing at first, but that could be chalked up to the distracting light show. Now she had a pretty good idea of what was happening now. Honestly, it didn't make it any less impressive.

The idea that a basic Aura Enchantment Semblance could put a literal child at a huntsman's physical level was incredible. Let alone one who could keep up with Hazel Rainart of all people was _staggering_. Maybe basic isn't the right word as she knew firsthand that there was no such thing as a _basic_ Semblance. That had to be the case here as well.

Either way, there was no Semblance out there that could make up for lack of skill or experience, not for long anyway. With every hit dodged, the next would get closer and closer to the mark.

She watched as Hazel finally freed his leg from the ruble, he buried it in.

She readied herself for the coming onslaught watching as the monster's face twisted with an unmistakable frustration. She made sure Jaune was prepared to.

It's sad to admit that she was a little surprised to see that he had taken up a battle stance… well, she figured it was anyway. With how low to the ground it was, he might have well just been fully prone! Along with his poor foot placement- _Focus!_

Her moment of distraction had the consequence of her missing the initial kick off. He had already descended on Jaune with a flurry of blows by the time she'd leveled her rifle. Tracking every attack and countering each was impossible, so she'd have to wait for a more predictable attack pattern to try and divert.

Usually, that would mean that her shots would be too spaced out to be of much use, but something had changed with the fight. It was just like before.

_More like Hazel himself changed. He's more like an enraged beast at this point._

It was unusually easy to predict each attack in advance.

With a quick jab with his left hand, Jaune stumbled back and almost lost footing. A quick sweep would have had him on the ground once again. Instead of pressing that advantage, Hazel chose to attempt an uppercut. Since Jaune was already off balanced, he wisely chooses not to hold his ground and leaped back with Hazel hot on his heels.

Breathing in and out, it was in the moment between breaths that she pulled the trigger. Confirmation in the form of sparks flying off of Hazel's form gave her immense satisfaction. It also gave Jaune some much needed breathing room, though it didn't last long.

This went on for what felt like hours but realistically was only a few minutes.

It was rinsed and repeated. Hazel would close the distance and attempt to bulldoze Jaune. Every time it would look like Hazel had finally corned Jaune, another string of gunfire would give him enough of a window to cheat death.

A cycle that would only ever break when she needed to reload. Though it would need to end soon as she was dangerously low on ammo.

She'd started to contemplate detonating the bomb early but didn't want to waste their only hope just yet. It was in this moment of reflection that she reloaded her final standard round mag and took aim.

Only to be interrupted as a comet came hurtling for her. Instincts almost made her fire, but she held.

A good thing, as Jaune skirted to a stop directly in front of her. Along with his momentum, his Semblance ceased as well and were her eyes ever grateful.

"Is everything alright?!"

If he was here, then that meant...

Whipping back, she expected to come face to face with their attacker but came to view something very different.

It was just like before when he missed that attack so incredibly that he appeared stunned. There he stood, staring at his outstretched hands. They had once again failed to secure him the kill. Stalk still, except for the labored breaths he took in from chasing Jaune around.

Speaking of Jaune...

"Are you okay, kid?"

She didn't let her guard down but shifted focus slightly to make sure he hadn't been injured. The fight wasn't over, and she still would need him when it was all over, of course.

Pulling up beside her, his eyes also never left Hazel. Though they were filled with caution, there was another look accompanying it.

He seems more- well, not comfortable per se but more relaxed with the situation. Which spoke volumes as he had just ended his bout with Hazel. She wouldn't bother pointing out to him that he had failed to throw a single attack during the entire encounter as she probably already knew why.

_There was no way that he could have landed any kind of attack anyway. More likely, he would have just been left open from over extending and gotten killed in the process._

"Im good, but I don't think he is..."

Figuring that he was referring to Hazel, she honestly agreed but couldn't bring up any desire to care either. Even while openly talking about him, Hazel hadn't moved from his spot. His face was the only thing changing, twisting and contorting as his eyes remained locked on his outstretched trembling hands.

He looked like he was searching for answers in his own palms. When those same eyes whipped to face them, it seemed like he had found his answers.

He didn't look pleased.

"He let me go..."

So focused on Hazel, she had nearly forgotten about the boy's presence. So when he spoke up unexpectedly, he instantly gained her full attention.

"What do you mean he _let you go_?" She asked.

His face tightened as if trying to work out exactly how to explain something even he didn't fully understand.

"When we were fighting- no, even before that, it was exactly the same." He seemed like he was confusing himself with that explanation.

"What's the same? You need to get to the point, Jaune!" She didn't mean to sound so hostile, but she couldn't predict when Hazel would snap and attack.

"I mean that even after all this time, he still hasn't landed a single scratch on me. Isn't that a little... I dunno, _weird_?"

It was.

"It's because of your speed Jaune."

"I don't think it is. Every time I go to dodge, his eyes would always track me, even when he misses. They never once left me."

"Like I said, your too fast to-"

"Every single time I dodge, he would look at exactly where I was going to be before I'd even moved. He'd predict every step I would take before I'd do it. I could see it in his eyes!"

He'd only attack where Jaune was, not where he was going to be. It was why it was so easy to predict where he'd strike and counter it. She'd noticed it too.

But she couldn't believe it.

"Jaune, it's hard to even look at you when your shinning so bright from my position, let alone Hazel's. It'd be too bright to accurately keep track of you in battle."

It hurt her eyes just being too close to him, let alone staring directly at him during a fight, so how would- _wait_...

Looking back at Hazel revealed something she hadn't noticed before. His eyes were thoroughly bloodshot. It made sense with how close he was to Jaune. It should have proved her point that he couldn't have kept track of Jaune with how damaged his eyes would have been.

But that wouldn't have mattered to Hazel, would it?

"No matter how brightly I burned, he never once lost track of me."

No, he wouldn't have. None of that would have mattered to him in the least. His _Semblance_ would have made sure of that.

"Okay, maybe your on to something..."

He didn't seem happy to be right. Neither was she.

_It doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense! Why would he be purposely whiffing his strikes? If his goal was to murder them both, then he should have done so by now._

The fact that someone of Jaune's skill level was still alive should have tipped her off sooner. If his goal was to murder them both, then he should have done so by now. So why?

"Maybe he can't..."

He must have realized how arrogant that sounded as he flushed and quickly amended his statement.

"I-I mean like he can't bring himself to do it!"

Maybe.

"Guess will just have to ask, won't we?"

"Wait, what?!"

Ignoring his disbelief, she cupped her mouth with one hand and painfully sucked air in.

"Hey, ya _bastard!_ "

Hazel's eyes darted from Jaune to her, fully showing the extent of the damage his eyes had taken.

"Oh brothers, we are so dead-"

"That's right, you pig. I know you can hear me! Are you done throwing your tantrum?"

The sheer _audacity_ of her words seemed to bring him out of his funk almost immediately.

"I don't need to hear this from you of all people."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Scoffing, he seemed to fully calm down. "With how our first conversation went down? I don't think you can criticize others on their rage."

She flinched, realizing he had a point.

"At least, I have the guts to follow through with my resolve!" She retorted, getting carried away again.

"Watch your mouth, Rose." His voice dropped an octave in warning, causing Jaune to tense up. She didn't even register it.

"Face it. You're a coward. I mean, after all you've done Im surprised you can't bring yourself to murder a single child."

She took immense satisfaction in how he was at a loss for words. Unable to stop herself from twisting the knife further.

"How far is too far for you, Hazel? Guess even monsters like you have standards, right? Murdering innocent children is the limit, huh?"

She relished being able to talk down to the man before her. Could barely contain the savage grin she sported.

"Innocent... no one aligned with that man can claim innocence."

She scoffed. "There you go again, jumping to conclusions. What? Is that the only way you can justify wanton murder? _Ozpin?_ "

With his head hung low, she could barely make out his shadowed expression. His eyes still cut threw showing clouded vision framed menacingly with the bloodshot look of his eyes.

"The only ones innocent in all this... were those villages..."

That got their attention.

"Villages? What villages?"

It wasn't her that asked that. Jaune had butted in with a sense of seriousness he hadn't shown before. Not knowing what this was about, she chose to remain silent.

She'd come to regret that decision very quickly.

" _Stratford_... _Coalfell_..." He listed these names in a trance like state as if pulling from painful memories.

The feeling of dread piled higher and higher with each name, but why?

_"Ansel..."_

The air seemed to grow heavy around her. Glancing to her side showed just why.

_Jaune?_

"They all _burned_. Innocent each one and yet they all perished the same."

Jaunes pupils were like pinpricks lost in the same fog that Hazel was seemingly trapped in.

"It was you?" He'd muttered more to himself.

Hazel's mind, still lost, seemed to respond more out of instinct.

"They all _burned_. I watched it happen- _ordered_ it. I might as well have killed them all by hand. So why can't I do what must be done now?"

He looked as if the question was tearing him apart. Pulling and tearing at what little sanity the man had left to lose.

That wasn't what she was focused on right now, though.

"Jaune, you need to calm down."

His shoulders were trembling furiously, a prelude to the panic attack that would no doubt follow. Words would have to suffice as she couldn't risk losing focus on Hazel.

"Do you remember Ansel?" Jaune asked.

That seemed to cause a spark of recognition to flash through the older man's eyes. A peaceful smile settled on his lips.

"It was a peaceful town. A quiet sleepy village surrounded by large forests and a beautiful lake at its heart. With a town center that buzzed with life more pleasant and optimistic than most settlements outside those accursed walls would normally allow."

She was taken aback by the almost sentimental recounting of the random village he had layed waste to. That spark of nostalgia filtering into the haze in which he'd lost himself in.

"It also contained a large number of retired huntsmen and thus a relatively small but formidable militia with little in the way for early warning detection of anything more than the odd beowolf." He listed off handily, never once losing that smile.

Her dread mounted as he went on to describe the security and threat level the peaceful village had. It made her want to unload another shot just to shut him up.

_So that's why he knew so much. He'd cased the entire village ahead of his attack..._

"Y-you forgot something."

Hazel's eyes gained a bit of light as he regarded Jaune's shaking form.

"And what would that be?"

Finally, lifting his head showed frustrated tears flowing from his eyes as his face was stretched in a hateful visage.

"Y-You forgot about the o-oldest home in the village. A b-big house on a hill overlooking the e-entire settlement." Each word was forced out of his throat, and he choked and hiccupped through it all. "I-It was built and owned by a h-happy f-family."

"Ah." Recognition flashed through his eyes once again. "I remember. It encapsulated the town's beauty into a single structure."

His eyes rolled down and met the boy's hate-filled stare.

"And it _burned_ just like the rest."

The cobblestone underneath where Jaune once stood shattered as he all but vanished in a torrent of light. It came out of nowhere, nearly knocking her off her feet and blinding her all at the same time.

Already being used to the high speed combat from earlier, it only took her a second to catch up with the action. With only that single dash, he had already covered the entire distance between them and Hazel.

A resounding crack was heard as Jaune had managed to launch himself like a missile at Hazel's sternum. The wind generated threatened to push her off her feet again, but that was just the beginning.

Managing to slightly push back the man's towering form, he'd managed to catch Hazel off guard. Right after that, Jaune threw his first real attack since the day's start.

Like his initial assault, Hazel didn't react to the very telegraphed uppercut coming his way. Snapping his head back, it cracked his jaw, liting his body a little off the ground to boot.

This happened in the blink of the eye, and had it not been for her years of experience with this level of combat, she would have missed all of it. The extreme light surging throughout Jaunes body certainly didn't help.

It felt like the entire area was shaking, shattering any old glass in the vicinity with all this going on. It only got worse as the onslaught continued.

Now both midair, Jaune latched onto Hazels coat with one hand, the other pulled back for a sloppy but powerful downward punch to his face. Slamming into its target had them both changing course midair. Cracks marred the ground as the giant came hurtling down, embedding his body into it.

The boy landed nearby and dashed in for more. Shooting from his spot had him practically fly right above him. With his foot lifted, perfectly imitating Hazel's previous downward stomp. But this time, nothing would interfere.

At the point of connection, Jaunes dazzling form engulfed the man, blocking out the sight of where they connected. The tremor that spawned directly after was all the confirmation she needed as those previous cracks turned into fissures that tore through the ground. A cloud of dust was kicked up, engulfing the entire area blocking out even the harsh light.

Tugging the remnants of her rent cloak to shield her face proved useless as she tumbled to the ground from the shockwave. After a moment of unease as the area seemed to settle, she tried to peer through the smoke, trying to find even a single ray of light piercing through to no avail.

_This isn't gonna settle for a while. Which means until this clears..._

He's on his own.

/-/

How fitting was it that his vision was blotted out by a haze of debris from a village lost. The only aspect different was the reason this village had fallen in the first place. A mystery to even him that would forever remain one. Thankfully, it wouldn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things to come.

Just like all the rest. Unimportant. _Unnecessary._

So why did they all have to burn? Were they not innocent in all this?

_They needed to die._

His lungs were being filled with soot as he layed in that crater. There was no pain coursing through his body, and yet he couldn't bring himself to stand.

Yes, if this trap was to work, they needed to remove any hope of speedy reinforcements. That was all that was needed to justify wiping out scores of innocents, wasn't it? A tactical advantage.

His hands clawed at the dirt he layed in, attempting to drag himself up. With more effort than what should have been needed, he managed to sit upright.

_If it would guarantee a future for the many, then I'll gladly slaughter the few._

That's what he resolved himself to do.

Then why do you keep purposely missing this boy?

Once again, he hesitated.

A ray of light pierced through the cloud and had him whip his left arm up to block a devastating kick. Throwing it aside had the consequence of stirring up the cloud into a swirling hurricane of smog. Giving him the perfect arena to face his attacker.

Within that swirling vortex, he came face to face with the very eyes of vengeance itself.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally a much larger chapter, but I tried my best to keep the chapter more concise. Hopefully, this was better than the last chapter. Which I plan to rewrite eventually.
> 
> These are the first action scenes I've ever written, and I feel it warrants me to ask once again for feedback.
> 
> See ya next chapter.
> 
> Date published: 2021/03/06


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